Forsaken
by Meowzy-chan
Summary: It all started with two notes, two Seraphim, and one island where anything and everything can happen. And if something can go wrong, it will. [YxK] [Collab with Spiritua Masquerade]
1. The Note

((A/N:** Meowzy:** Welcome to a fanfic collab by Meowzy...  
**Spiritua Masquerade:** And Spiritua Masquerade!  
**Meowzy:** Of course, we must begin with the disclaimers!  
**Spiritua:** Of course, of course. Though they do get boring after a while... Heh, oh well. Meowzy and Spiritua Masquerade don't own Kratos, Yuan, Tales of Symphonia, or Yuan's hot cape.  
**Meowzy:** And you must beware the YuanxKratos, that will appear in later chapters. If you don't like guyxguy, don't read it.  
**Spiritua:** Exactly. And this being my first fic, I may not make as large and well-written chapters as Meowzy, but I can try. Bear with me, peoples.  
**Meowzy: **Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine! And as long as I get my implied lemons, I'll be happy.  
**Spiritua:** Don't worry, you'll have plenty, but you might have to be a bit patient for it. Anyways, on to the fic? My chapter's first, so... here goes nothing!))

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Chapter One (Kratos's PoV)  
The Note

The leaves made a crunch underfoot with each step I took down the well-worn path. I cringed slightly at a particularly loud one; I never have liked noise. Of course, I never have liked silence either. Not complete silence. Not like Derris-Kharlan. It's so silent there, it seems almost a sin to breathe. Especially since Mithos's demise. I could tolerate it before, when he was there, because I knew I wasn't the only life on the mana planet. But now… I'd choose the noises of Symphonia over the silence any day.

Symphonia… The two worlds combined. Though it was unofficial at the time, Symphonia was the name generally spoken to refer to what once was Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, now that they had merged to one dimension. At first, there was much strife over the social hierarchy of the new world; Tethe'alla assumed their king would continue to rule, while Sylvarant wanted nothing of the sort. At last a wealthy Palmacostan woman was chosen to wed the King, dissipating most of the strife caused. I, however, chose not to involve myself in such things as politics and the acts of the nobles. There were lots of things I chose not to involve myself in… A family being one of them. I'd made that mistake once before, twenty years before. Sure, the boy who saved the world came from it, so I guess it's slightly selfish of me to call it a mistake. But a mistake it was. Anna…

I remember the day I first met her. She always was the rebellious sort; though she was under the heaviest guard likely in all of Sylvarant, she still managed to break out on numerous occasions. She was beaten for it each time, though she hid the scars beneath her shirt. They would never kill her, however; no, she was far too precious to kill, her and the Cruxis Crystal she was harboring inside her. The Angelus Project they called it, and no higher priority was there than ensuring it's success. She knew this, and knew she wouldn't be killed no matter what she did. That's why she kept breaking free.

The Crystal had nearly finished it's growth within her, and she knew it's completion would mean her downfall, so she made one last attempt at freedom. This was when I met her. I was stopping into Iselia for supplies, for I knew not how long it would be before I could show my face in public once more, after leaving Mithos and descending to Sylvarant. Suddenly, a woman with long, chestnut hair slid into the item shop, casting a worried glance behind her. 'I wasn't here.' She told me, before crouching behind a cluster of barrels. At first I watched her, confused, but everything was cleared up moments later. A group of three or four Desians barged into the room, hastily taking in the contents. I knew they were after her. And I knew that, for some reason, I couldn't let them find her. 'We're looking for a woman, slim with brown hair and blue eyes. She's a fugitive of very high importance, and we have orders to retrieve her by Lord Forcystus.' I managed to look confused, though acting never was my strong point. The leader of the group eyed me suspiciously. 'Any who harbor this escapee can be sentenced to death.' He said slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, as if waiting for my act to falter. It didn't. After a moment, he cursed under his breath and turned, leading the others from the store. A moment of silence followed, before the woman stepped cautiously from her hiding place. She glanced nervously to the door, watching it a minute, before sighing in relief and turning to me. 'Thank you…' She said, smiling. 'My name is Anna, I'm nearly sure.' I tilted my head slightly. Does she not know her own name? This seemed odd. Nonetheless, I smiled slightly back. 'Kratos Aurion.' I offered in return. And that was the beginning of the biggest mistake of my life.

Anna died, five years later. A death by my hands. I couldn't love another. I wouldn't make that mistake again. Lloyd, my son, _her_ son… He still thought I'd left with Derris-Kharlan two years before. I'd seen him since then, sure. I followed him a good portion of his exsphere-removal journey, just to see how he was getting on. He never saw me, of course. I don't know why, but… I felt I couldn't _let_ him see me. Heh. Even with four thousand years and an angel transformation under my belt, the human mind is _still_ too complex for me to understand. And, in a sense, I'm glad of it. For life is a journey in which one is constantly learning. If I could understand _everything_, what would there be left to live for?

The trees that surrounded me slowly started to thin, until at last they opened up and revealed a large stretch of prairie. I paused, surveying the land ahead, before spotting a wooden building, half hidden in the trees to my left. A House of Salvation. Glancing at the sun, which was slowly sinking to the horizon, I decided that there would be as good a stop as any. I averted my course and headed for the double-doors.

Upon entrance, I decided that this must be one of the better Houses of Salvation. It was well-kept, and ornately decorated, whereas most were dusty and plain.

"Excuse me?" A voice to my right attempted to get my attention. I turned, to come face to face with a young woman, eighteen at the very oldest, with navy-blue hair and a nervous smile. I gazed at her expectantly. "Are you a Mister-…" She pulled a letter in a crimson envelope from behind the desk, glancing at it a moment. "Mister Kratos Aurion?" My eyes widened slightly in surprise, and I nodded, accepting the envelope and looking at the front. 'Kratos Aurion' was written in the center in rough cursive, but that was all. There was no return address.

"Do you know who this is from?" I questioned, but the girl shook her head, disappointed to be of little use.

"It was on the front step when I arrived this morning." She shrugged apologetically. I turned my attention back on the envelope, at last turning it over and slitting it open with a fingernail. Inside was a note, folded into quarters. It read:

_Kratos Aurion. I believe we have a score to settle. I need to pound you into the ground, once and for all. Meet me in three days' time at the island in the center of the largest sea. Yuan._

Once again my eyes widened. A challenge? From… Yuan? That was unlike him. Very unlike him. Though how well did I know Yuan anymore, anyway? I hadn't spoken to him on peaceful grounds since… Since Mithos declared his idea for the Age of Lifeless Beings. So I guess I had no place to decide if it was like him or not. I knew then and there that I'd accept his challenge. I hadn't had a good spar in Martel only knows how long. Besides, Yuan was due for a reality check. His ego was swelling too big for his skull. It was gonna get him killed someday… Though at that point, I wouldn't have minded. Much.

I slipped the note back into the envelope, ignoring the clerk-woman's curious gaze, and reached into my bag for my gald. I slapped four-hundred onto the counter, turning wordlessly and heading for the stairs up to the room.

"Excuse me? What are you doing? I'm sorry, but we're booked for the night." She called after me.

I paused where I was, half contemplating continuing on up and staying there anyways. It had been so long since I'd felt a nice bed, I wasn't keen on just giving it up. After a moment, I sighed inaudibly, turning and collecting my gald from the counter and pushing back out through the door. The daylight was starting to dim; night would be upon me soon, and I had to find some place to camp before then. I wandered back into the woods, grabbing up a few fallen branches and taking them back out onto the field. I made a fair-sized ring of stones, placing the branches in the center, and muttered a brief incantation under my breath. After a moment, the branches burst into a fair-sized flame. I took off my dragon-leather bag, placing it on the grass, and sat down beside the fire. Drawing Flamberge and a waterstone, I began rhythmically drawing the stone over the edge of my sword. It was likely sharp enough already, but a bit of extra sharpening never hurt a blade. After a few minutes of this, I replaced both the sword in it's sheath and the stone in my bag. Left with nothing really to do, I gazed idly into the blaze.

'_In three days time, I can strike Yuan down, once and for all. But… is that truly what I want?'_

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((**Spiritua: **Urgh, I think it sucked. But oh well. Things will get better, bear with me. **Meowzy**'s is next, so you know THAT'll be good.  
**Meowzy:** ... That was WAY too well-written! My chapter will never compete with this...)) 


	2. The Island

((A/N: **Meowzy:** And now it's time for my first chapter! Yay! I hope you'll enjoy.  
**Spiritua:** Of course they will, Meowzy. Everyone loves your fics. ))

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Chapter two (Yuan's PoV)  
The Island

"What just happened?…"

There I was, dangling from a tree branch, still caught in shock. How disturbing… I'd gone to the island in the center of ocean, as I was supposed to. I'd flown there, obviously. But when I was just a few miles above it, looking for a place to land, my wings had suddenly disappeared. I'd nearly fallen to my death. Luckily, my cloak snagged on a branch before I could hit the ground. Though… luckily?

I glanced at the ground that was still pretty far below me. I had to find a way to get down. Though as much as I tried, I couldn't reach the branch above me. And whenever I moved too much, the branch would make a nasty sound. So basically, I was stuck. I couldn't let Kratos see me like this. I could already imagine the superior smirk on his face.

How annoying. The great Yuan, leader of the Renegades, stuck in a tree. I used to be one of the four Kharlan heroes. I helped to cease a war, together with my fiancée, her little brother, and a human swordmaster. I managed to run an entire underground organization for a few thousand years! And _now_ look at me. Where did it go wrong?

Still, what had caused this? No matter how much I tried, my wings wouldn't return. All other forms of magic seemed to have dissipated from my abilities too. Except for the skills that ran through my half-elven blood. Not that a small lightning attack would've helped me much in this position. It would've only made things worse.

I suddenly heard a strange squeaking sound from somewhere above me. Looking up, I saw an odd, rather large rodent sitting in the tree. It blinked down at me, before taking a step forward, onto the branch.

"Shoo." I hissed.

The creature took no notice, continuing on its way. The branch started to bend down even more. I gulped, looking down at how far away the ground was. If I fell, it would certainly hurt.

"No, don't." I said, slightly pleading.

The rodent glanced at me for a second, before stepping again.

"Go away, stupid mutt!" I growled loudly. Big mistake.

The rodent took another large step, and the branch made a sharp cracking sound. It snapped, and I emitted a loud, slightly girly shriek as I fell to the ground. I landed face down in a shrubbery with a thud. Cursing loudly, I looked up to see that the 'mutt' had hopped back just in time. And I might've been hearing things, but I could've _sworn_ it was laughing at me.

"I'll get you for this!" I shouted, shaking a fist before getting to my feet.

* * *

A little while later, I was sitting in the soft sand at the beach, waiting for Kratos. This island was a complete dump. Not a single sign of civilization. But it did seem like a decent place to have a final battle. 

I looked up when I heard a loud scream, and saw Kratos falling towards the island a few miles away. It wasn't just _my_ Cruxis crystal then, afterall. Snickering softly, I got to my feet and started walking.

"How nice of you to… drop in." I commented casually, as I glanced down at the man. He was lying face down in the sand, but didn't seem to be hurt.

Kratos slowly sat up, shaking his head like some sort of soaked dog. Sand flew in all directions.

"What did you do to my Cruxis crystal?" he asked, glaring at me.

"I didn't do anything." I said with a shrug.

"You lie." Kratos got to his feet, looking me directly into my eyes.

"Afraid not." I replied. "I made a nice crash-landing here too. Though mine was a bit more… graceful."

"That explains the twigs in your hair." Kratos grinned widely.

I gasped and quickly starting running my fingers through my hair. Stupid shrubbery.

"Well, I'm here. Like you requested." He continued, crossing his arms.

"Like _I_ requested?" I repeated with a frown. "Did you get a concussion when you fell from the sky? _You_ were the one who sent the note."

"No I wasn't." Kratos exclaimed, slightly confused.

"Oh, what's this then?" I reached into my pocket, and pulled out torn crimson envelope. I unfolded the note inside it, and started to read. "_Yuan, we still haven't finished our battle. Meet me at the island in the center of the largest ocean in three days time, so I can kick your traitorous behind once and for all. Kratos._"

Kratos merely stared at me, slightly dumbfounded. After a few seconds, he snapped out of it. "Let me see that." Without waiting for any response, he snatched the note from my hands.

"Well?" I tapped my right foot impatiently, as I watched him read.

"It's obvious I didn't write this." He said, handing it back. "It's not my handwriting, and they misspelled traitorous."

"Really?" I glanced at the note again.

"Besides, I got a letter just like this one." He also pulled a crimson envelope out of his pocket, and waved it in front of my face. I grabbed it, growling slightly. After reading this preposterous note, I ripped it in two and let it fall to the ground.

"I don't 'pound' people 'into the ground'." I hissed.

"Well, this is interesting. We both got a letter from each other, that neither of us sent. And the second we arrive at this island, our Cruxis crystal ceases to function." Kratos concluded, folding his arms behind his back and pacing around.

"And I'm blaming you." I said with narrowed eyes.

"What? How exactly is this _my_ fault?" Kratos asked, more amused than angry.

"You probably ticked someone off again. Trouble always seems to follow you around." I swiftly turned my back on him.

"So says the leader of the Renegades…" he said, and I was sure he was smiling.

"Tch." Not bothering to respond to that, I started walking in the direction of the forest.

"Where are you going?" Kratos called after me.

"Obviously, I'm going to look for a way out of here." I snapped, not bothering to stop.

"By yourself?"

"If you want to continue standing around aimlessly, then yes." I waited for a moment, but heard no reply. With a slight shrug, I continued walking.

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((**Spiritua Masquerade:** Hahahaha, good job Meowzy! I can totally see Yuan hanging by his cape. Hehehehe…. Anyways, I'm next, so keep reading! Reviews are always welcome. -_wink_-  
**Meowzy:** Yes indeed, reviews are always welcome. And remember; Every time you flame, Mithos kicks a Yuan. Please, think of the Yuans.)) 


	3. The Castaways

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade:** Whee, another chapter by meeeee. I'm so happy I could…. pee? o.O;; Okay, maybe rhyming wasn't a good idea. Not a good idea at all… Oh yeah, I might want to introduce my chapter now. P It's not gonna be as good as Meowzy's, but it'll probably be better than the last one. Introducing…. LE CHAPTER THREE. –trumpet fanfare-))

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Chapter Three (Kratos's PoV)  
The Castaways

For the first time in my life, I was thoroughly and utterly confused. I'd been uncertain before, sure, but I'd always had at least some idea what was going on. Now, however, I didn't. Though I made a good show of acting like I did. After all, what would it do for me, to give Yuan the knowledge that I was as clueless as he was? It'd get me mocked and ridiculed for however long I was stuck there. Which, at that point, seemed like it was going to be an awfully long time.

The confusion all started when he showed me the note. Same red envelope, same roughly-scrawled handwriting. But this one was a challenge from myself to Yuan, something I quite obviously didn't write. Not only did I threaten to 'kick his traitorous behind', but I misspelled 'traitorous'. And Yuan _believed_ it. It makes me wonder what kind of an idiot he thinks I am. Hmph, misspell 'traitorous'…. I can spell 'magitechnologicalistic' backwards and forwards, but he thinks I can't spell 'traitorous'?

"I don't 'pound' people 'into the ground'." He hissed, examining the note signed 'Yuan' and interrupting my slightly affronted train of thought.

"Well, this is interesting. We both got a letter from each other, that neither of us sent. And the second we arrive at this island, our Cruxis Crystals cease to function." My words were slow and thoughtful as I put things together in my head. I didn't voice my theory for _why_ this happened, however, for it's always a good advantage to know something your opponent doesn't. And at that point, Yuan was still my opponent.

"And I'm blaming you." Though I was pacing away, I could tell by his tone of voice that Yuan was narrowing his eyes at me. I paused, looking over my shoulder at the half-elf.

"What? How exactly is this _my_ fault?" I questioned, unable to keep the hint of amusement off my face. '_That's right, Yuan, blame me.'_ I thought. '_Stubbornly ignorant to what's truly going on... As usual.'_

"You probably ticked someone off again. Trouble always seems to follow you around." He accused. My eyes were alight with amusement, so I turned away once more before he noticed. Knowing Yuan, he'd take it as if I was mocking him. His words were true, to some degree; I have 'ticked off' a large number of people in my four-thousand-year life span, obviously including Yuan. I didn't _tell_ him he was right, however. To do that would allow his ego to swell even more, which was somewhat unhealthy for him, at that point.

"So says the leader of the Renegades." I smirked. After a moment he 'tch'ed, before turning to walk away. I turned around, watching him a second, before calling after him.

"Where are you going?" I called.

"Obviously, I'm going to look for a way out of here." He snapped. Obviously _someone_ was a bit touchy today…

"By yourself?" I called once more.

"If you want to continue standing around aimlessly, then yes." I paused, wondering how to interpret that. After a moment I shook my head, clearing it of the earlier thought process, and took up a jog after Yuan, who was halfway up the beach by then. After a few moments, I caught up, and we walked in silence for a while.

"I still blame you." He reminded me, though most of his earlier anger had faded.

"Shows how much _you_ know." I fired back, shrugging. His head shot my way, and his eyes locked with mine, fiery with anger once more.

"Oh really? Well tell me, _Oh Mighty Kratos_, why are we stuck here on this infernal island if it's not your fault?" The bluenette fumed. I thought a moment before my answer came, and my eyes still focused on the forest ahead.

"Something on this island is emitting a negative field, which nullifies the powers of our Cruxis Crystals." My voice was level, unworried, which, for a moment, seemed to anger him even more. After that moment, however, he paused, a thoughtful look on his face. The thoughtful look faded to a bitter one.

"…I guess that might be possible too." He stated grudgingly. I was barely able to fight back a smirk as I realized why he looked so bitter. He always did hate it when I was right. This was no exception. We both pondered this in silence a while, before Yuan's voice broke the quiet once more.

"So we just have to find whatever's nullifying my powers and kick it's ass and I'll be free?" He questioned.

"Yes… Theoretically, that's how it should work." I answered slowly. He halted.

"_Theoretically_?"

"Yes, _theoretically_. Nothing's ever for sure, Yuan."

"I know _one_ thing's for sure… If I die here, I'll kick _your_ ass too." He threatened. By now, it was almost impossible to hide my amusement. But I somehow managed.

"You'll be dead, Yuan." I stated flatly.

"Then I'll come back and haunt you and my ghostly self will kick your ass."

"…Fair enough."

* * *

"…If I get my Crystal at the exact angle of…" Yuan mumbled under his breath, as he'd been doing for the good part of an hour, about various things. Occasionally, a snatch of his mumbling was loud enough for me to catch, but after the first five minutes, I'd scarcely paid attention. 

"I'VE GOT IT!" Cried the bluenette, throwing his fist in the air in triumph, only to remember that I was there and hastily withdraw his fist. He hurried to explain his sudden outburst. "If I bring in something positive, it would nullify the negative, which cancels out it's nullifying of my Cruxis Crystal."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Where would you get this, err, 'something positive'?" I questioned. He opened his mouth to reply, but paused a moment, before he shut it, looking crestfallen.

"I'll…." Yuan started, looking around him, then down at his outfit and equipment, searching for something to use to cover up his lack of thought on the matter. His eyes at last came to rest on his communication device on his arm. "I'll call in the Renegades, they'll pick me up off this island and fly me back to the base!" But when he pushed the activation button on said device, nothing happened. He pushed it again, and again, then proceeded to jab at the button repeatedly. Cursing furiously under his breath, he whipped the device off and hurled it off into the forest.

"Piece of crap technology…" He grumbled. I resisted the urge to say, 'You were saying?', for he seemed angry enough as it was.

"If our Crystals won't work, why did you expect something as weak as your Renegade technology to function?" I questioned, earning a dirty look from the half-elf.

"Hmph. At least I _have_ technology. You're too preoccupied with your twenty-year-dead wife to do anything but wander around, sulk, and act like you're so much better than everyone else!" At his words, I froze. A sudden stab of pain was felt in my chest, but it wasn't caused by anything physical.

"Don't you **ever** say **anything** about Anna." My voice was quiet, but fierce. After a moment, I began to walk again. Soon, Yuan's footsteps were heard behind me, and he pulled up beside me. I ignored him completely. He seemed to realize he'd said too much, and was mentally battling whether to take it back or to act like I was overreacting.

"Kratos, I didn't mean it like-"

"Don't talk to me, Yuan."

So he didn't.

* * *

We took a break an hour later. After a bit of discussion, we decided that we were- 

"Completely and hopelessly lost." Yuan observed. He didn't blame it on me this time, though he probably knew I was in no mood to be tampered with.

"Hmph." Was my only reply. I was still livid at him for what he'd said.

"Come on, Kratos, you aren't still ticked at me for _that _are you? I didn't think-"

"You're right. You didn't." I interrupted coldly. He looked away, fuming in silence for a while. I started to think he'd realized what was best for him and shut his mouth for once… And he had. Though good things never last.

"Wait a second. If my Crystal went kaput when I flew into the island's airspace, does that mean I simply have to swim _out_ of the island's air space to make them work again?" He mused, his eyes alight with realization. I snorted slightly in contempt.

"Indeed, you go right ahead. I'll send your body and my regards back to your Renegades." At my words, Yuan whipped around to face me, his eyes narrowed.

"Explain yourself! Quit speaking in riddles, or I'll kill you here and now!" Warned the half-elf, a hand at his waist where his collapsible double-ended sword was hidden, but I made no move to acknowledge his threat, or even that he'd spoken. For the moment, at least.

"You don't scare me, Yuan."

"And why the hell not!" He demanded, his hand still hovering threateningly over said weapon.

"You couldn't kill me, and you know it. Not only do you need my intellect to get you off this island, but if it did come to a physical fight, you and your flimsy weapon wouldn't stand a chance. But if you do insist I tell you what I mean, I think you should know that even a half-elf such as you wouldn't be able to swim far enough out into the ocean to escape the negative field without drowning. Assuming you even _know_ how to swim." Satisfied with what I'd said, I looked away once more, off into the forest. I could hear Yuan behind me, nearly beside himself with fury, and unable to think of any way to respond. So silence came over us once more.

After a few minutes of thought, I rose to my feet.

"Let's head to the center of the island. If there's anything on this infernal plot of land, it'll be there." I decided, turning to walk away. But I didn't hear Yuan's footsteps after me. "Come on, Yuan, we don't have all day."

"No."

Sighing in exasperation, I turning to face him once more.

"And why the hell not?" I demanded.

"Because. I'm now positive that my Renegades will come after me, and the closer I am to the beach, the better." He crossed his arms stubbornly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes in disbelief.

"It's your funeral." I shrugged dismissively, turning and walking off into the forest.

I found it was a lot easier to think with Yuan gone, though it worried me slightly how set he was on his Renegades coming for them. The odds were largely against even another living being finding the island in time, let alone his not-so-clever Renegades. But wait… Something seemed wrong. I halted, tilting my head slightly. Where were the birds? I could have sworn I'd heard birds singing just moments before, but now there was an almost eerie silence hanging thick in the air. Suddenly, a terrified and somewhat feminine shriek pierced the air. I whipped around, and my hand flew to the hilt of my sword. Something was coming my way… And fast. Closer and closer and closer. I drew my sword halfway, holding it ready for whatever was hidden just past those bushes. At last, a figure flung itself from the bush. I let out a shout of alarm and drew my sword the rest of the way, before I realized it was just Yuan. A very disheveled, and obviously alarmed Yuan. Who was currently trying to shield himself behind me.

"Yuan!" I demanded, my eyes wide in surprise.

"It tried to eat me!" He cried, breathing hard from his flee.

"What was it?" I turned my attention to the path once more, in case whatever it was was pursuing him.

"Huge, and… sharp teeth, and…" He described between deep breaths.

"Out with it! What _was_ it?" I demanded.

"It was a _flesh-eating plant_!" Yuan gasped, peering from behind me at the path from which he came. My eyebrows raised to their peaks, and I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"Yuan, I don't think the daisies are going to hurt you." I managed, before falling into a smaller fit of mirth. If looks could kill, Yuan'd have murdered me then and there.

"Kratos, I'm serious! It had huge teeth and these roots that wound around my ankle so I couldn't get away, and-"

"Yet you're still alive, unhurt. Pity." I managed to subdue my amusement to a shadow of a smirk and a glint in my eye.

"I swear, it was there!" He insisted, but when I obviously wasn't believing him, he sighed in defeat. "Next time I see one, I'll feed you to it. _Then_ we'll see who's crazy."

"You do that, Yuan." I agreed, in the voice that a parent would use to comfort an estranged child. I did it partially because I doubted his sanity, and partially because I knew it'd piss him off. His glare was even fiercer than before.

"C'mon, let's go. The sooner we find whatever's effing with our Crystals, the sooner I can get away from _you_." He seethed, turning and heading off into the forest once more.

* * *

((**Spiritua:** I hope you liked it! I had fun writing it and stuff. Hehe.  
**Meowzy:** Oh yes, I think it was awesome! My next chapter probably can't compete with it. I haven't even written it yet.)) 


	4. The Starved

((A/N: **Meowzy:** My turn again! Oh, this'll be fun! Thanks for all the reviews, and sorry this chapter is so late. Itried to ask Spiritua Masquerade's opinion on something, but she hasn't been online for a while. I had to finish this chapter without her input.))

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Chapter four (Yuan's PoV)  
The Starved

'Damn that Kratos' I thought, stomping through the forest. I could hear him following, but blandly ignored him. Next time we'd encounter one of those flesh-eating plants, I'd shove him into those huge jaws, and leave him behind.

"What was that sound?" he asked suddenly, snapping me out of my evil plotting.

"What sound?" I snarled, slightly irritated.

"A growling sound." He stopped in his tracks and glanced around. I did the same. Then I heard it too.

"Some kind of wild animal?" I guessed.

"… I think it's your stomach." Kratos suddenly grinned.

"What the-" I glanced down and clasped a hand over my stomach. I actually was feeling kind of hungry… A feeling I hadn't had for over four thousand years.

"Now that our Cruxis crystals are being subdued, we're going to have to start eating again." Kratos concluded.

"Oh great…" I sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. Reduced to a mere mortal. What joy.

"Let's go find some fruit or something. I think I saw an apple tree a short while back." Kratos turned, but I didn't follow, as my eyes caught sight of something much more interesting.

"Forget fruit. I want to eat _that_." I said with a grin, pointing upwards. Kratos followed my gaze to see a small rodent sitting on a tree branch.

"You want to eat an innocent little creature?" he concluded.

"It's not innocent. It's evil and vile and I'm sure it'll taste good." I wrung my hands evilly, before reaching for my double-edged blade.

The rodent, apparently smelling danger, hopped down from the branch and landed in front of me, its nose twitching. It was taunting me.

"Try to get behind it, and make sure it doesn't escape." I hissed, readying my blade.

Kratos shrugged faintly and drew his sword before stepping behind the little monster. I counted to three in my head, and charged towards it with a loud war-cry. Just then, the rodent hopped aside, and I nearly speared my human companion. Luckily, he jumped back just in time.

"How many more murder attempts should I expect today, Yuan?" he asked, slightly amused.

I didn't bother to respond, whipping around to see where the rodent had gone. It had slipped into a small hole in the ground at the foot of a tree. Presumably its lair.

"That little bastard." I growled, throwing my blade aside and falling to my knees to try and pear into the darkness. I could faintly hear the creature titter in delight.

"You just got outsmarted by an animal." Kratos said, smiling wickedly.

"No need to rub it in." I snapped, glaring at him.

"Let's just go get some fruit, okay?"

"No! I _will_ have that rodent for dinner!" I roared, sitting back.

"Heh, suit yourself." Kratos shrugged again, and walked off, leaving me alone with my hunger.

* * *

It wasn't until a few hours later that Kratos returned to find me standing next to the lair, clutching my cloak. He dropped a pile of fruit on the ground, and chuckled. 

"You still haven't given up?" he asked, lazily taking a bite from an apple.

"Be quiet." I hissed, staring determinedly at the hole. "The second it comes out, I'll cover it with my cloak and club it to death."

"What did that thing ever do to you?" Kratos questioned.

"It ticked me off." I snapped in response.

"Well, atleast have an apple while you wait. Or some berries." He gestured at the large pile of fruit.

"No. I'm fine. And is it just me, or is the ground spinning?" I leaned sideways against the tree, holding my forehead. Okay, so I hadn't really eaten in four thousand years. That didn't mean I was going sick with hunger, right?

"Stop being such a fool." Kratos snapped. Apparently, he was getting a bit angry.

"I'm not a fool. If you want to become a vegetarian hippie, so be it. I'm not gonna- Whoah…" Suddenly feeling another dizzy spell, I sank to my knees.

"Okay, that's it." Kratos grabbed a few berries from the pile, and sat down in front of me. "Here comes the rheaird." He sang, waving one in front of my face.

"Get lost." I growled, trying to swat his hand away.

"Open the hangar bay…" he continued, a slightly forceful look in his eyes.

I didn't respond, but clamped my lips firmly shut.

"Come on, you stubborn bastard."

I glared at him determinedly, crossing my arms.

"You leave me no choice." Kratos sighed, suddenly moving forward and sitting down on my lap. Before I'd even processed what was going on, he had placed the berry between his teeth, and was trying to force my mouth open with both his hands. He wouldn't…!

Maybe it was because of my slight state of shock that he actually did manage to force my jaws apart. Mildly horrified, I watched him close the distance between us, until he pressed our mouths together, and dropped the berry. Then he pulled back, smirking triumphantly.

"Swallow." He ordered.

I looked away, blushing heavily. But now there was nothing left to lose anyway. Reluctantly, I chewed, before gulping down the sweet fruit.

"Very good." He said, pulling my left cheek playfully.

"Stop that." I snarled, pushing him away.

Kratos reached for another berry, but I stopped him.

"I can feed myself, you know." Growling slightly, I grabbed a juicy red apple.

"Sure you can." Kratos said, trying very hard to suppress a smile. He failed miserably.

"And I _will_ have that rodent for dinner." I added, before taking a bite.

"Whatever you say." Kratos grinned, and grabbed an orange from the pile.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Not really my best chapter, but as I said, I had to do this without my co-writer's help. Pray she appears online again soon, because it's her turn now.)) 


	5. The Raft

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade:** Sorry for the absence! As I told Meowzy over MSN, I've been grounded for the last week and thus unable to get on at all. So… yeah. I think her chapter was plenty good without me though, don't you all agree? Now time for me to try and do as good. Psh, like that'll ever happen. Hehe…))

* * *

Chapter Five (Kratos's PoV)  
The Raft.

It had been nearly a day since I force-fed the stubborn bastard a berry, and he was still dead-set on catching the rodent. Though he waited night and day by the burrow, the rodent obviously knew better than to emerge when a crazed half-elf was waiting just outside.

"Damn thing. It probly has a whole horde of little vermin food in there stored up, and it's probly sitting in there eating its munchies and laughing at us." Yuan grumbled weakly. After the berry and the apple, he'd only eaten a strange green squareish fruit before he'd gone back to his determined wait.

"No, Yuan. It's probably sitting in there laughing at _you_. You wouldn't catch _me_ waiting forty-eight hours outside a hole for a few bites of revenge on a creature with the brain capacity of a stump." I smirked. Alright, I admit, it wasn't very proper, to strike an opponent while he was down, and it would have been far better of me to lay off him until he was in better shape. But since when was I ever proper? Besides, we could have been using our time on something _useful_.

At my words, Yuan tensed, his hunger and his desire to catch the creature in the hole battling with his even stronger urge to fire back some witty or insulting comeback. I couldn't help it. I smirked wider. After a moment, the latter choice won, and he whirled around to face me.

"Oh yes, you're far more intelligent than I am, aren't you Kratos? You'd never be caught dead doing anything that might hint you're not flawless, would you?" He fumed, glaring daggers my way. I paused.

"Glad you finally caught on, Yuan."

He opened his mouth to reply, then made an aggravated growl and turned back to his task. To the bluenette's dismay —but my great amusement— the rodent had been waiting for that distraction to bound from its hole, scurrying up the tree as fast as it's legs could take it.

"Kratos, it's getting away!" cried Yuan, leaping to his feet and throwing himself against the tree with his arm outstretched, but it was just past his fingers. I'm not sure if I felt bad for the half-elf, or if I just wanted to hurry things up, but I suddenly leapt to my feet, drawing my dagger from where I sheathed it in my boot.

"Yuan, duck!" I roared, before hurling the dagger with all my strength at the rodent. Yuan looked to me in alarm, my command only registering in his mind as the dagger flew inches past his left ear, at which point his arms flew up to shield his face by reflex. A high-pitched squeak of pain and defeat marked the capture of the rodent, for my dagger's aim was true, slicing cleanly through it's tail and sticking into the tree on the other side, thus pinning it to the spot. The half-elf looked at it a moment in disbelief, then turned his incredulous look on me, before delight slowly spread across his features.

* * *

One can guess what we ate for dinner that night. Yuan was happier than he had been in days –"That'll show it, breaking my limb and making fun of me like that, nobody makes fun of me and lives to tell the tale!"— and he willingly ate the offered fruit for desert. But this newfound peace was slightly unnerving. I don't quite know why, but at the time, I preferred it when we were at odds. Not fighting, no… More like a battle of wits. So after a dinner as allies, I had to say something to break the accord. 

"I still don't see how the murder of a single rodent was so important to you. Because of that, we wasted two full days that could have been put to use getting us off the island." I lectured, earning a dirty look from the bluenette.

"It pissed me off. It needed to die. I find it quite high on my priority list to bring death to those who deserve it." He replied simply. I snorted slightly in amusement.

"Yet you haven't done me in yet. Do you always save the best for last, or do you admit I'm far stronger than yourself and you give up trying?"

"Are you kidding me? I'd kiss you before I said you were stronger than me." he shot back.

My eyes widened in surprise, and after a moment so did his. He swore, before hastily attempting to explain himself.

"No! No, no, no! I didn't mean I-"

"Sure you didn't." I smirked.

"No, you sick bastard, I didn't mean it like _that_! I just-"

"No no, I understand. I understand completely. But when you _do_ attempt to kiss me, please do it when your little rodent friends are away. We don't want them laughing, else you'll waste another week snuffing off the rest of them." At this point, my smirk was so wide it was nearly painful, but I couldn't help it. I was getting to him, and I enjoyed it.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP A MINUTE AND LISTEN?" Yuan roared. My eyes widened in surprise, and, though my smirk was still present, I remained silent.

"_Thank you_," he continued, quite irritated at this point. "I didn't mean I wanted to kiss you. In fact, I'm about to puke just thinking about it. So wrap your big idiot ego around _that_."

My smirk disappeared immediately. I don't know what it was that stopped me; it could have been the fact that he accused me of having a 'big idiot ego', or it could have been just the pissed-off tone of his voice. It could even have been-… No, that was impossible. Or so I thought. Was this… disappointment? Was I hurt that he found me so disgusting? No. Like I said, that was impossible.

Yuan obviously took my silence as a forfeit.

"Now that _that's_ settled, we're heading back to the beach. I'm making a raft to haul our asses off this goddessforsaken island, and you're gonna help me, got it?" He glowered. Part of me wanted to say 'Who are _you_ to give _me_ orders?', but the other part was still sore from a minute ago, so I merely gave a stiff nod. Satisfied, Yuan turned and marched off into the forest. I hesitated, looking behind me.

"Yuan? Isn't the beach back that way?" I ventured, with a jerk of my thumb over my shoulder.

"I think I'd know where I was going. I _am_ a half-elf, remember?" came his icy reply. I hesitated a moment, about to point out that being a half-elf had nothing to do with his sense of direction, but I sighed resignedly and followed him off into the forest.

* * *

"Here _again_?" Yuan moaned in exasperation. I'd been silently following him for the good part of three hours, and for the fifth time we passed the tree with a dagger-hole partway up. 

"Not to question your _excellent_ sense of direction, but… are we _supposed_ to be going in circles?"

"Shut up."

The half elf turned to stalk back into the forest for another go, but I suddenly felt an, erm, _urgent_ urge in my lower stomach area.

"Yuan, wait a minute. I have to step behind these bushes a sec." I mumbled, reaching out a hand to part the bushes to my left….

And coming face to face with the pale sand and vast blue ocean.

Yuan's jaw dropped in disbelief. Then he remembered that this was the direction I had originally suggested we go.

"I hate you."

"You're welcome." I replied airily over my shoulder, for I had already stepped out onto the beach, the sun almost painfully bright after days in the dim forest. "Now about this raft idea…"

The rest of the day, as well as a large portion of next morning, was punctuated by much cursing from Yuan, a log landing on and all but breaking my now mortal foot, and Yuan nearly spearing me on a branch. All in all, I think it went well.

"And… It's done!" announced the half-elf as he finished securing the last log in place. "Time to get it in the water and get the hell off this island!"

I tried to smile in celebration, but I found that I couldn't even force it. Though this is what I'd been looking forward to since I crash-landed on that very beach, I couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. I'd grown used to Yuan's company, to tell the truth, however stubborn and idiotic he was at times, and I was not overly looking forward to returning to my life of solitude. Nonetheless, when Yuan heaved up one side of the raft, I lifted the other, and we carried it down the beach to the water.

"Hold it here." I requested, before turning and jogging back up the beach to grab our bags, which were filled to the brim with fruits. When both bags were heaved onto our escape vehicle, we pushed it out into the water and pulled ourselves out of the water. For a moment, I held my breath; this was our test-run, and I didn't know whether or not the raft would float. After nearly a minute with no water leaking through, I heaved a sigh of relief. A sigh from the half-elf told me he'd shared my concern. Wordlessly, we both grabbed a paddle, three of which we'd made and stored on the raft, and began to pull the boat away from the shore.

Suddenly, Yuan's eyes widened, and he stared in what appeared to be horror at something above and beyond me.

"Yuan!" I questioned in alarm, turning at the waist to see what was wrong. My eyes widened as well. A massive black object, most obviously a missile, was about twenty feet above my head, and closing in fast.

"YUAN, MOVE!" I yelped, diving into the frozen half-elf and shoving him from the raft, just as the projectile hit it's target. The shockwave hit me full-force and knocked the air from my lungs, yet I could not resurface for more until any flying pieces of raft had hit the water once more. After a couple of moments, I broke free of the water, gasping for air. Opening my eyes against the salty sting, I looked hastily about for Yuan's head among the wreckage, but he had not resurfaced as I had.

"Yuan? YUAN?"

But no answer came. Suddenly, a flash of cobalt caught my eye. It was the bluenette, flailing slightly under the water but sinking nonetheless. Without a moment's thought I slipped under once more, kicking for the half-elf and at last snagging a hold on his cape. I averted my course, bringing us both to the surface, where I reeled him in by his cape. At last Yuan's blue head broke free of the water as well, sputtering and choking on the newfound air.

"You-… you saved me?" He choked between gasps.

"I wasn't going to let you drown, if that's what you mean." I replied casually, still holding tight to his cape.

"I wouldn't have drowned!" sputtered Yuan indignantly, "I'm an excellent swimmer!"

"Oh really?" A smirk played at the corners of my lips. "I suppose I should let go, so as not to hinder your fine swimming any longer?"

"No, no, don't do that," he hastily pled, grabbing hold of my sleeve in case I followed through with my threat. My smirk widened, but I didn't release his cape.

"Then you'll quit complaining and let me help you back to shore? If I have to hold you up out here much longer, I may change my mind."

He nodded, so I wrapped the arm holding his cape around his waist and with my other three limbs, pushed for shore. I felt him tense at my touch, and sighed in annoyance slightly.

"Relax. It's like dragging one of those logs, with you all stiff like that. And I'd appreciate it if you'd at least _attempt_ to help." I chastised, and immediately he started to kick as well. Though I admit, it wasn't much help, for he wasn't even _close_ to being a skilled swimmer.

Nearly a half an hour went by, and the shore was still a fair distance away. My limbs were growing tired, and Yuan had gone all but limp beside me.

"This seemed a lot closer from the raft, didn't it?" Yuan's voice broke the steady rhythm of the waves in my ears, his attempt at dry humor to lighten up the situation only worsening it by the weak state of his voice. Who was _he_ to talk, anyways? _I_ was doing all the swimming. I merely grunted in reply, for I was focusing all my energy on getting us to shore. Even then, I felt my body weakening by the second, and I was having serious doubts that I'd be able to hold out 'till the beach.

But I pushed on. And on. And on. And just for a change of pace, I pushed on some more. Even when my vision began to blur from fatigue, even when I grew dizzy, I kept swimming. It was just so _close_, I couldn't give up, not when we'd gotten so far.

At last, at long long last, my feet touched the sand. I staggered forward a couple of steps before my fatigue finally got the better of me, my knees gave out, and I sank down into the surf… I was vaguely aware of an arm around _my_ waist, pulling me forward, slowly and weakly, until we both collapsed on the dry sand. We'd made it.

* * *

((**Spiritua:** Wheeeee! I liked it. :D It was fun. Now time for Meowzy's chapter! I can't waaaait! Mree.)) 


	6. The Blizzard

((A/N: **Meowzy:** Time for me to write another chappie! Oooh, this one will be cute.))

* * *

Chapter six (Yuan's PoV)  
The Blizzard.

I panted deeply, rolling onto my back in the sand. We'd made it to the beach. I was sure we were going to die. How ironic… I came here because I thought Kratos had challenged me to a battle to the death, and here he was, saving my life.

But this only made the situation stranger. Mysterious notes luring us to this island, and now a missile that bombarded our raft, keeping us from leaving. This was no ordinary island. My suspicions were confirmed even more, when I suddenly noticed dark clouds gathering above me. An hour ago, the sky was perfectly clear!

I rolled back on my side to stare at Kratos. The man was lying facedown, but he was breathing steadily. He'd probably passed out from fatigue.

Sighing, I pushed myself to my feet, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We had to get out of here and find shelter. Supporting him the best I could, I started walking. The tips of his toes softly dragged through the soft sand. Dammit, he was heavy! Just as we reached the start of the forest, I noticed it had started snowing.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, glancing around. This region was tropical! How could it be snowing?

* * *

A short while later, we'd finally reached a small cave. Groaning tiredly, I carried Kratos inside and lowered him on the floor, letting him lean against the wall. Shaking the snow out of my hair, I sat down next to him, and sighed, staring outside. 

By now, the light snowfall had turned into a blizzard. The wind roared loudly, and the temperature was dropping with a steady speed. If this was normal, I'd eat my shoe!

I rubbed my hands together, my breath appearing before me in a mist. I despised snow! I just happened to have a base in Flanoir because it was such a good location. When it came down to actually living there, I preferred Triet base. Where it was warm. And sunny. But more importantly… warm.

I shivered lightly, pulling my cloak closer around me. Our clothes were still wet. And now that our Cruxis crystals had mysteriously stopped working, we could probably catch a cold too. Or a flu. Or… pneumonia! Ugh.

Suddenly, I heard Kratos moan softly. The man curled up beside me, leaning against my shoulder. I instantly froze. Both in a manner of speaking, and literally.

"Kratos?" I gently poked him. No response.

Great. He was out cold, and unconsciously looking for the nearest heatsource. Not that I was much help there. I was freezing too. But Kratos was emitting a sort of warmth that spread through my body. It was kinda nice.

"Well, I guess I could take a nap too…" I muttered to myself, slowly closing my eyes.

* * *

I awoke, what appeared to be a few hours later, to something moving behind me. It took me a few seconds to realize that my head was leaning against Kratos'. My breath stopping short, I tried to move away as quickly and innocently as possible, but I was too late. Kratos straightened up, staring at me. A small silence followed. 

"Pervert!" he shouted accusingly, backing away even more.

"I'm not a pervert!" I snapped, trying to keep myself from blushing. "I just… happened to fall asleep in that position."

He stared at me with a disbelieving expression. True, it must've been odd for him to wake up like that. Curled up so closely beside me. But to accuse _me_ of being a pervert!

"Anyway, you were the one who was clinging to me!" I finished, looking away.

"I was unconscious." Kratos hissed.

"Fine, whatever." I snapped, pulling my knees up to my face.

"And why is it snowing?" he was now staring outside, watching the snowflakes fly past.

It seemed that the blizzard had passed, but there was still some soft snowfall going on. And everything outside the cave had been painted a pure white.

"Because I prayed to the snow pixies, hoping to relive my lost childhood." I said sarcastically.

"It's not supposed to snow at a tropical island…" Kratos continued, completely ignoring my comment.

"Gee, thank you Captain Obvious!" I wrapped my arms around my knees, trying to keep warm.

"Do you always wake up on the wrong side of bed?" the human turned to stare at me, slightly annoyed.

"When I'm stuck on an island that defies the laws of nature, with you, then yes." I said simply.

Kratos snorted, and resorted to glancing outside again.

"And then there's that strange missile that struck our raft…" he pondered aloud. "This is no ordinary island."

"Captain Obvious strikes again!" I exclaimed, putting an extra note of drama in my voice.

"Well, if you're so smart, mister Renegade leader… What do you suggest we do now?" he asked coldly.

Whoops… I might've ticked him off again. Time to scratch the sarcastic remarks I still had planned.

"Obviously, we find out where that missile came from." I said, rolling my eyes lightly. "It seemed to originate from a mountain range near the center of the island."

"So if we go there, we might find some clues about what's suppressing our Cruxis crystals, and causing these strange weather changes." Kratos commented.

"Captain Obvious never forfeits!" I called before I could stop myself. And I had to try very hard to suppress a chuckle when I saw the expression on his face. I quickly pulled my knees closer to my face to hide my grin.

"'Captain Obvious' is considering leaving you behind." Kratos said, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Sheesh." I was still smiling.

About half an hour passed in silence, as we waited for the snow to stop. With Kratos no longer leaning on my shoulder, I was cold again. Very cold. And it seemed he wasn't having such a good time either.

Eventually, Kratos got to his feet, and headed for the exit without a word.

"Captain Obvious to the rescue!"

I mentally scolded myself for lacking complete self-control. But the opportunity was just too good.

"Not without my sidekick. Let's go, Pervert Boy." Kratos turned back, smiling wickedly.

"I'm not a pervert!" I shouted, jumping to my feet.

We left the cave, arguing heavily.

* * *

After a long walk, we finally reached the mountain range at the center of the island. And, apart from rocks, there was nothing interesting there. 

"Got any more bright ideas, Pervert Boy?" Kratos asked irritably.

"Stop calling me that." I hissed. "There's gotta be something here…"

"Yes. A whole load of pebbles." Kratos kicked one to prove his point. The pebble was bounced back by a tree, and missed my face by mere inches.

"Watch what you're doing!" I shouted, turning slightly red.

We continued our trek, now going up one of the mountains. It was quiet. Eerily quiet.

"I bet we can get a great view from the island if we can make it to the top." I said, trying to make some friendly conversation.

"You know, I heard that in times of great stress, the powers of an exsphere will increase. Maybe our Cruxis crystals would start working also." Kratos said.

"So? There's not a lot of stress on a tropical island." I responded, trying to forget about the flesh-eating plants and evil rodents.

"I could test the theory by giving you a shove when we reach the top of the mountain."

Ah, great. I try to be nice, and he just _has_ to make a mean comment. Thanks a lot, you asshole.

"Well, aren't we funny?" I asked sarcastically, keeping my eyes on the road. As far as you could call it a road, anyway…

"Yeah, I'm a regular joker." Kratos said blandly.

"Hey, look! What's that?" My eyes fell on a plateau just to our left. It seemed like it was carved into the mountain. Large rocks were scattered around it in a circle.

"Let's check it out." Kratos suggested, moving towards it.

"Hey, wait up!" I quickly stumbled after him, trying not to trip on the loose pebbles.

We wandered onto the plateau, glancing around. We already had a pretty decent view of the island. Wide forests, and the beach in the distance.

"Look, there's a marking here." Kratos walked to the center of the plateau, sinking to his knees. He wiped the snow away with one hand. "And the ground has a strange color."

I decided to follow, and see if it really was interesting. That probably was a big mistake. As I stood next to Kratos, the ground beneath us suddenly seemed to disappear. We fell, screaming loudly, into the darkness.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** To the Obvious-cave! Awaaay!)) 


	7. The Center

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade:** Wh00t! I just wrote a 9,644 word chapter for my collab with dragonwings144, Project HEAT. Sorry this took so long, I just HAD to beat dragonwings144's word record. She was taunting me with it! Wah… Anyways… Confused yet? Here comes my chapter to make things worse :p  
**Meowzy:** Nya... It may have taken some time, but this chapter is enormous too! I envy Spiritua's writing abilities.))

* * *

Chapter Seven (Kratos's PoV)  
The Center.

I don't know how long we fell, or how far. I just knew that by the end, my throat hurt from screaming. I also knew that at the speed we were falling, the landing may very well kill us. I didn't tell Yuan that little tidbit, however. I figured if he screamed any harder, he might hurt himself. Heh. I just kicked back and relaxed. After all, if I was gonna die, there was no way to stop it, right? So why waste my time? Like I said, I kicked back and relaxed as the tunnel through which we were falling grew progressively darker.

After about five minutes of falling, we suddenly slowed dramatically. Well, _I_ suddenly slowed dramatically, for I couldn't see Yuan to tell if he did as well. But I assumed he did. For a few moments we were suspended almost motionless in mid-air, before being unceremoniously dropped to a harsh, cold floor.

The drop wasn't that far, though by the ache that proceeded to spread through my body, it was far enough to bruise things up quite a bit. I pulled myself to a sitting position, and hissed slightly in discomfort at the fairly large amount of pain that followed. Eyes searching the darkness around me, I forced their powers of vision to their fullest extent, but was still unable to see even the teensiest thing. So I was essentially blind in an unfamiliar room.

I cursed audibly, though the noise felt extremely out of place in the otherwise silent area.

"My sentiments exactly," came a somewhat sarcastic voice not far off, though by the tone of his voice, the half-elf was far more apprehensive than myself.

My hand made its way to the floor of… whatever or wherever that hole spat us. Stone. So we could possibly, just possibly, have fallen into a naturally-forged hole. But that wouldn't explain how it opened up, or why we slowed down before we hit the bottom and died.

"Where _are_ we?" Yuan questioned, and I shook my head slightly to express that I knew as little as he did about this particular subject... But then I remembered that it was too dark to see.

"In some sort of a room..." I softly replied, and I could almost sense him roll his eyes.

"Even in the darkest of darks, the dangerousest of danger, Captain Obvious never fails!" he cried in a dramatic tone, and his voice echoed around the cave.

I paused.

"Dangerousest isn't even a word." I smirked, and that shut him up. "Can you see anything at all?" I questioned, having heard that half-elves have eyesight far better than humans'.

"No, you fool, can you? We need light to see, and there isn't any of that around here, now is there?" Came his reply. Obviously he found my question to be incredibly stupid.

After a few moments, I rose to my feet, slightly unsteady in the darkness. I heard the bluenette shift slightly a few feet away.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, the edginess evident in his voice.

"I'm going to try and find a way out of here. Or were you intending to just sit around and wait for your Renegades to rescue you?"

Silence.

"They're not coming," Yuan admitted grudgingly, and rose to his feet as well.

"Watch out, or you'll usurp the current Captain Obvious and assume the title yourself." I smirked.

"Give it a rest, will you? That's why I hate it when I'm wrong, because you'll never effing let me forget it! You always have to be better than me, whether it means besting me at whatever we're doing, or undermining me in your speech. No wonder you don't have any friends." He snapped, and I cringed, clenching my fists. Half of me wanted to beat some sense into the half-elf, but half of me knew he was right, dead right. I let the natural silence envelope us once more for a few minutes, before I sighed heavily.

"Yuan, can we at least make peace until we get the hell out of this mess?" I offered hopefully, but the only response was an unsympathetic 'feh'. "Yuan, please? I-…" I bit my lip, finding it harder than I thought to say what I knew I had to say. "I'm sorry…" I whispered, the loudest I could force myself to say it.

His shock was evident, for even his breathing halted for a moment.

"So the high and mighty Kratos decided to grace me with a long-due apology. I'm touched. I-" the bluenette cut off, though I doubt he could sense my hand moving to my Flamberge's hilt. "Heh, sorry 'bout that."

"I might find it in me to forgive you." I replied, though my voice was somewhat teasing. He snorted slightly in dry amusement. After a second, I heard him rise to his feet as well.

"So what are we standing around here for? Let's get searching!"

* * *

For the good part of an hour, we felt around for any sort of crack or hole or knob or button or anything else that could signal an exit. Before long, I was so sick of dark and stone that anything, ANYTHING that wasn't cold and unyielding would be a relief. 

My hand suddenly met just that. It was warm, and slightly pliable. In just that moment, Yuan let out a scream.

"What is it?" I demanded, still attempting to sort out what the object was.

"Something's touching my ass." He replied, close to panic. I silenced a yelp and withdrew my hand as if burned. Oh shit. Time for a cover-up.

"You wish, Pervert Boy." I smirked, feigning skepticism.

"No, I'm serious!" He replied, slightly irked.

"Well is it gone now?"

"Yeah, but-"

I cut him off. "Then don't worry about it."

Thank Martel that he didn't pursue the issue.

Another hour came and went, and another. I did good to stay well away from the bluenette, lest he discover what it was that had touched his ass to begin with, but I didn't find anything of use. Another hour, and another, and even another passed. My stomach rumbled; I realized it'd been over 36 hours since I'd last eaten, just before we set out on our raft. Right on cue, I heard Yuan's stomach growl as well. More like roar, however, for I heard it clear across the cave-room.

"IF YOU KEEP US LOCKED IN HERE ANY LONGER, I'M EATING KRATOS, YOU HEAR ME?" Cried the half-elf, obviously attempting to threaten his way out of our trap. Nonetheless, I sidled farther away, in case he came to make good of his threat.

"It's no use, Yuan. This is stone, they won't be able to hear you through it." I informed him, and I heard a scraping sound that told me he just slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"But I'm _hungry_, Kratos, it feels like I'm being burned alive from the inside out..." he whined, and I couldn't help but sympathize with him. My hand slid to a pouch at my waist; a few scraps of meat were tucked inside, in case of an emergency. I had been saving them for when I truly needed them, but... I thought Yuan needed them far more than I would. I untied the pouch.

"Yuan, catch."

I tossed the pouch his way.

"Wha-"

But he was cut off by a dull thump. I assume he received his package.

"What's the big deal, hitting me in the eye with a-…" He paused his rant a moment, obviously examining the package. "With a bag of meat? Kratos, where'd you get this?"

"I brought it along. I was gonna eat it, but... you eat it."

"Ohhh, I get it," I could sense his smirk. "Should I be honored that the Great Kratos cares?"

My eyes widened, but my voice stayed carefully level.

"Cares? Don't flatter yourself. I'd just rather you eat my food than me." I snorted, slightly cynically.

"Oh..." He replied. Was it just me, or did he seem... _disappointed_? When his words continued, however, his voice was it's usual lively self. "Thanks for the meat."

"Like I said, better it than me."

While the half-elf proceeded to scarf down the food, I continued along the wall, deftly running my hands up and down the rough surface. Up and down, up and down, up and down... After a while, it got so boring that my mind began to wander. _What would happen if we never got out of here? _Up and down, up and down... _No, we'd have to get out somehow. Would we be able to make our way back up the hole we fell through?_ Up and down, up and down... _Was it even low enough to climb up into? And how wide was it? Would we be able to climb up, if we were back to back and both using our leg strength to push?_ Up and down, up and- smooth?

My eyes widened as I ran my fingers over this newfound smooth surface. It felt like metal of some sort. A door? But there was no knob... Oh well, it was better than nothing.

"Hey Yuan, I think I found something." I called and heard him scramble to his feet, then the steady hiss as he jogged my way with his fingers combing the wall so as not to wander off-course. "I'm here." I said when he seemed to draw close, to make sure he didn't run into me. I heard him slow, and soon his breathing was heard from just beside me.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Right here, I think it's a door." I replied.

"Right _where?_ It's not like I can see, y'know."

I presume he was groping around to find said door, because I felt a searching hand on my shoulder a moment later. Cursing inaudibly in exasperation, I reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand from my shoulder and roughly pressing it to the door.

"Right _here_." I said, for emphasis. My hand released his wrist, and I heard a soft hiss as his hand brushed the door, feeling for a knob just like I did. I sighed.

"There's no knob." I stated before he has a chance to point it out.

"Then how the hell do we open it!" Yuan demanded, obviously quite sick of our temporary prison.

"You have to _lick it_, Yuan." I replied, smirking. There was a pause, and for a moment I thought he had believed me.

"You dirty bastard," he hissed. "I bet it tastes absolutely vile, and you would have had me _lick_ it."

"Oh, how will I ever live with myself?" I questioned in mock concern, before abandoning my charade with a snort of amusement. "But honestly, if I knew how to open it, _why would I still be here_?"

"...Good point."

"I know."

For the next few minutes, Yuan attempted every variant of "Open sesame!" he could think of, eventually ending with "Open the hell up, you goddamn door!" and kicking it irritably. To both of our surprise, it creaked slightly, then slid slowly open.

After so many hours in the dark, the light was blinding. I couldn't open my eyes for a good two minutes, and even then it burned. Yuan, assuming by his furious cursing, was having the same problem. When at last we could open our eyes once more, we glanced at each other in wonder.

"Never thought I'd see the day that bitching out and kicking a door would open it." He laughed dryly, and I smirked as well. We were both in better spirits now that we were released from our dark confinement, though when I thought to turn and see what the stone room had truly looked like, the door had already closed.

I chose then to look around the room we'd entered. It was huge, hundreds of feet high, and the ceiling was one huge dome of glass, through which daylight shone bright.

How come we didn't see this when we were on the plateau?" Yuan questioned, and I shook my head cluelessly.

"We probably would have, had we not fallen in that hole first." I replied, and he nodded in agreement.

We stepped out into the room, looking around. It was completely empty and bare, aside from a massive half-circle door on the other side of the room. Though it was quite obviously a door, and quite obviously meant for something extremely large, it was also quite obviously firmly shut, so we couldn't use that as our means of exit.

"We went from trapped in the dark to trapped in the light. Tell me, is it just me, or did things honestly not improve much?"

But I didn't get a chance to answer. Just as I opened my mouth, there was another screech, and the massive door slid slowly up into the wall.

"I think things definitely just got much, much worse." I replied, my eyes, as well of those as my half-elven partner, were locked on what the door had opened to reveal.

It was a dragon, though no ordinary dragon. This dragon was three, maybe four times as large as those that lived in the Temple of Earth or Torent Forest. It had claws like daggers, the bottom edges serrated to rip. It was a bright, livid red, the color of fresh-spilt blood. It's tail made host to about twelve massive, slightly crescent-shaped spikes, four facing in each direction, and they looked like they were made of the same material as the dragon's claws. That wasn't the worst part, however. Not by far. The worst part was that the dragon had _two heads_. Two pairs of eyes, watching us like a hunter watches it's prey. Four ultra-keen nostrils, able to scent blood from as far away as the mainland. Two snarling jaws, filled with four rows of razor-sharp teeth each. One massive, jagged row in front, then a second, smaller row, pointed inward slightly, to snag on it's prey and make it impossible to escape.

"Yuan, don't shit yourself, but I think we've got company." I managed to choke over the lump in my throat. He'd already noticed, however. He stood there, frozen, staring at it with wide-eyes like a bird in the headlights of a Rheaird.

It eyed us a moment, before its two jaws opened and roared as one, white-hot fire billowing toward us.

"Run!" I cried, racing off and snagging Yuan by the arm on the way by. This seemed to bring him to his senses, and after a moment he caught up to me. I let go of his arm, no longer seeing any need to drag him. The dragon roared once more and spread its massive wings, flapping them disappointedly. I suppose it wasn't fond of its prey running away. When it recoiled its wings and made to come after us, we took off around the wall border once more, but it was surprisingly quick on its feet. Though we could easily outrun it, it had more stamina than us, and it followed steadily at its jogging pace as we slowly tired. We knew we couldn't stop, for if we did we'd be dead, but... as it was, running from a two-headed dragon and frequently avoiding bursts of flame... was there much chance anyways?

"It's gonna eat us anyways, why don't we just stop now?" I softly admitted between harsh breaths. Yuan turned to me, his jaw set in determination.

"I'm not giving up, and neither will you, I won't let you! If running won't work, we... We have to fight it!" He declared, and my eyes widened, but I nodded. Fighting. Now this was something I could understand, amidst all the chaos. Under unspoken agreement, we whirled to face the dragon, and as I slid Flamberge from it's sheath, I heard the metal whirr of Yuan's double-bladed weapon extending. The dragon slid to a halt, one head cocking and the other lowering to our level, both eyeing us inquisitively. Obviously it's never had breakfast fight back yet.

After a minute of something resembling a staredown, it roared once more, and charged.

"Good luck." I murmured to Yuan.

"Don't die," he replied, but before I could make an 'oh, so it matters to you if I live?' comment, we were forced to charge into battle. I dodged a strike by the left head, whirling and slicing at the right one's neck. It reared up onto its hind legs, its soft throat soaring out of reach, and roared once more, obviously growing angered.

I suddenly spotted something shining where its throats met. It was a crimson jewel, its core glowing with power.

"Yuan, look at its chest!" I cried, dodging a harsh swipe by the dragon's clawed forelimb. The half-elf, however, made no response. I chanced a look over to where he was dealing with the second head, and found him locked in a power-struggle he was losing badly. The dragon had obviously attempted to eat the bluenette, but Yuan had swung his weapon up to block it just in time, and now the only thing between him and the gaping jaws was an inch of sharpened metal. The head remained with its jaw open, pushing against the weapon with all its strength, and the half-elf stood, feet apart for balance, pushing back as hard as he could. A hand was directly opposite the top jaw, and one was opposite the bottom jaw, and his jaw was clenched with determination. Sweat ran down his brow, getting in his eyes and surely burning, but still he pushed on. Slowly, torturously slowly, his feet were sliding back. He was losing ground. Yuan was going to die.

The dragon, however, didn't seem aware that it was winning. It was growing impatient. A forked tongue slid from between its parted jaws, slipping around the sword and wrapping around Yuan's wrist. He gasped in pain, and when the tongue slid away I found out why. There was a ring around his wrist, where the tongue had been, where the flesh was burned clear off.

Acidic saliva! What else do these monsters have to throw at us?

The tongue slid out again, wrapping around his other wrist. My eyes widened. It was trying to weaken his arms so his force against its jaws would falter.

I was so focused on Yuan's battle that I only noticed the right head's lightning-fast lunge when it was too late. Sure, I dodged, but not without a fang sunk deep into my shoulder. I gasped in pain, but ran Flamberge into the beast's closest eye before much of its saliva could get into the wound. It released its grip, howling in pain. A hand flew to my shoulder, only to find it bleeding profusely, the skin around it eaten away as that on Yuan's wrist was.

Yuan!

I whirled to face the half-elf once more, just in time to see the dragon's other head lose its patience and its left forelimb whip out and strike Yuan harshly across the side, sending him flying into the wall. He collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

"NO!" I bellowed, moving to race toward him, but before I could get more than two steps I felt four razor-sharp claws gouge their way down my back. Crying out in pain, I fell to my knees. With my shoulder wound and now my back, I felt like I was being ripped apart limb for limb. My left arm was next to useless, that being the shoulder that the bastard beast sunk its fang into. Part of me wanted to give up, to collapse there and let death come...

NO! Yuan told me not to die! And somehow, that meant I couldn't give up. I had to get us out of here somehow.

I stumbled to my feet, throwing myself into a run and slashing Flamberge at the left head, which had been slowly descending upon Yuan like a hunter does its cornered prey. It hissed in rage, and lunged at me with it's jaws open, and I ran Flamberge into the roof of its mouth. It roared in pain, though the wound wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. It missed the creature's brain. I knelt protectively by the half-elf's side.

Here, beastie beastie beastie... Just try it, I dare you.

Suddenly a roar erupted to our right. Another dragon was emerging from the hole, this one fully renewed. My eyes widened in hopelessness. There was no way I could fend off three heads, four clawed limbs, and two spiked tails!

I glanced to the ceiling. Glass. If I could somehow get us up there, I could break through, and we'd be free. But how? The fairly uninjured head, like the two of the approaching dragon, was eyeing me distastefully. And then an idea came to me.

I picked the half-elf up and slung him over my shoulder, almost crying out as he came in contact with the punctured wound. It had to be that shoulder, though, for I needed full mobility of the other one to wield Flamberge. I stepped out away from the wall, daring the dragon to attack. It hissed in rage, and snaked its head down at my chest, as quick as lightning... But obviously not quick enough. When it lunged, I leaped, my feet coming to rest on the beast's head. Only for a moment though, for when it felt me on its skull it jerked up the appendage in alarm, flinging both me and the half-elf ceilingward. The dragons roared in rage at their prey being lost, spreading their wings and at last taking air in pursuit. They hesitated as they came close to the ceiling, though. They seemed afraid of something. It didn't matter what though, for that hesitation gave us time to escape.

Glass embedded itself in nearly every inch of my skin as we burst through the ceiling, though Yuan's cape prevented such for him. I felt worse pain than I've ever felt in my life. Despite this, however, I hit the ground running, taking off down the path that wound itself down around the mountain to the island below. I heard a screech of triumph from above, and I paused a moment, only to shudder as not two, but three dragons soared out over the forests of the island, searching for a new place to nest.

* * *

An hour after our escape found me leaning against a tree, breathing heavily, still weak and out of breath from the experience. So many questions raced through my mind. Why were those dragons trapped there? Who created the building to begin with? What was that jewel on its chest? Those questions, as well as many more. I was too weak to even begin to answer right then. 

Though I'd had a good half hour so far to rest, my vision was only growing more and more blurred. I was losing a lot of blood, far more than could be healthy. The one time I leaned away from the tree, I found stripes of crimson stained into its bark, from the claw-gouges on my back. I'd removed my shirt, for it was too torn to do any good anymore, and now blood from my shoulder trickled down my arm and the side of my chest. I didn't move to wipe it away though. If I did, more would replace it all the sooner, just to spite me.

On the plus side, Yuan was okay. I made sure of that before I rested myself. He was lying in the grass a few feet away from myself, his worst wounds being his acid-burned wrists. They were beaded with blood, though not enough to do more than sting like hell. He, on the other hand, would live. Lucky bastard. I can't say he doesn't deserve it, though.

Right on cue, the half-elf shifted slightly, making a pained groaning noise before opening his eyes. He sat up, cursing furiously in pain. I smiled slightly in amusement, leaning my head back against the tree and closing my eyes.

"You're extremely bruised, in case you can't tell. Your whole back is blue. But you'll live." I explained, my voice light, but it held a shakiness in it that betrayed my condition.

"What happened? Did we win? Okay, dumb question, of course we won. We're alive, aren't we? Better question, is the dragon dead? How'd we get out here?… Why is it always _me_ that needs to be saved!" Ah, I knew the questions were coming. Thick and fast they came at last. Hah, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it.

"I saw you thrown against the wall, so I jammed my sword in my head's eye, ran it through the roof of yours' mouth, and got you on my shoulder. I used its head as a catapult to send us through the glass ceiling and I carried you down here to safety. Oh, by the way, our little beastie friend, as well as two of its comrades, are now loose in the forest."

"Kratos, what happened to _you_?" He gasped, concern evident in his voice.

I cracked one eye open, to find him looking at my shoulder with rounded eyes, all other questions forgotten. I laughed dryly.

"It's not as bad as it looks. You should see the _other_ guy." I joked, attempting to lighten the mood, but he just shook his head in disbelief.

"Answer me. What happened?" He demanded, moving closer and extending a hand to examine the wound. I raised my good hand and weakly swatted his hand away, turning my head the other way so I didn't have to meet his gaze.

"My shoulder came from a fang and the same dragon spit as happened to your wrist." He glanced down at his wrists as if noticing the wounds for the first time. His eyes shifted and stared at the ground next to me.

"And your back? What happened to _it_?" He demanded, a worried edge on his voice.

I glanced down as well; a small puddle of crimson betrayed the slash wounds on my back. I looked away again.

"The damned claws…" I grumbled reluctantly.

"Are you okay though? I mean, it's not like it matters to me, but... you're not going to die, are you?" Yuan softly questioned. I hesitated, before meeting his gaze.

"I'm fine." I reassured, though I believe that's the biggest lie I've ever told.

"You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, I'm not a child, Yuan." I snapped. Hesitantly, he nodded.

"Alright. Then I say we should move out, get as far away from the center of the island as we possibly can," he declared, obviously seeing me unfit to take charge. After a moment, I nodded as well, pulling myself to my feet and ignoring how his eyes were soon fixed on the blood-striped trunk. Determined to prove I was fine, I stepped toward the path... Only to have dizziness overcome me, and the ground rush toward me as blackness swept over my vision.

* * *

((**Spiritua:** Heh, it's the second chapter in a row that I've ended with Kratos passing out. But I believe he has every right to pass out this time, doesn't he? He's just saved Yuan's asseth for the second time in a row. :p I hope you like this, I had fun writing it. :D  
**Meowzy:**... -_dumbstruck_- How am I supposed to match up to this? It's way too good! Waaah!)) 


	8. The Nurse

((A/N: **Meowzy:** -_huff puff_- Okay, here's my chappie! Sorry it took so long. I had a small writersblock for a few stories, and I tried to match Spiritua's huge last chapter. I failed... But I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!))

* * *

Chapter six (Yuan's PoV)  
The Nurse.

"Kratos!"

Immediately whipping around, I rushed over to my fallen companion and kneeled down next to him. The wounds in his back were clearly visible now. I started to panic slightly. So much blood…

Part of me felt guilty for getting away with a few 'scratches', while Kratos was in such a state. He'd protected me and saved my life at the cost of his own. If he hated me as much as he appeared to, he should've left me behind and saved himself!

"I told you not to die!" I hissed angrily.

What now? I didn't know any healing spells! What made it even more ironic was that if I _had_ known any, I would've been able to use them this instant, due to my elven blood. Kratos, a mere human, wasn't able to do anything without the aid of his Cruxis crystal.

This would have to be solved the old-fashioned way. By playing nurse.

I pushed myself to my feet and glanced around. Kratos' tattered shirt was lying nearby. I walked over to it and held it up. There was large gashes, where the glass had tried to rip it into pieces. Thinking it might be useful later, I pocketed it. Then I returned to Kratos' side.

I remembered seeing a waterfall when we were standing on the stone platform. I would need the water to clean his wounds. Looking up at the mountain, I tried to pinpoint our location. Eventually, I concluded that the waterfall must be straight ahead.

Leaning forward, I tried to lift Kratos and dropped him almost immediately with a hiss. My wrists burned painfully. Damn those dragons! Gritting my teeth against the pain, I tried again. Kratos had saved me two times now, so I had to return the favour. I couldn't let him die.

Finally, I managed to hold him properly, one hand on his back and the other supporting his legs. My wrists started to sting again, tears springing to my eyes. I couldn't give up. According to my calculations, the waterfall couldn't be that far away. Then again, my sense of direction regularly flawed.

Holding Kratos' body close to mine, I started to walk. For such a lithe human, he sure was heavy...

* * *

After what seemed like ages, I finally heard the gentle splashing of a waterfall. We'd made it! And just in time too. Kratos' breathing had really slowed down. I wasn't sure how long he'd hold on. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, I gently dropped Kratos on the ground, letting him lean against a tree. His head fell forward lifelessly, messy auburn bangs covering his face. Blood dripped off my hands, though I wasn't sure whether it was all his.

I kneeled down next to the river, lowering my hands into the clean water. I instinctively bit my bottom lip, my wrists stinging even more painfully. Though after a few moments, they became numb due to the cold water. Blood dyed the flow red for a while, until it finally subsided. Atleast now I could be sure all the dragon saliva was gone.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out Kratos' old shirt and dipped it in the river. Then I pushed myself to my feet again and approached him. Where to start? His shoulder seemed to be the most life-threatening wound.

Kneeling down next to him, I got to work. The blood was everywhere and I had to return to the river to clean the shirt many times. I was amazed he was still alive after such physical torture. But that might not last very long. I continuously cursed myself for never bothering to learn healing magic.

About ten minutes later, I'd cleaned the wound as much as possible. But the bleeding wouldn't stop. What if he needed stitches? I didn't have a clue how to handle stuff like this! After a short moment of panic I decided to take off my cloak and used it to bandage Kratos' shoulder.

'_Why did this have to happen? Who would be stupid enough to keep dragons on an island? Who wrote those damn notes? And why did Kratos go through so much trouble to protect me?_' I raised a hand to Kratos' face, pushing his hair out of the way to gently stroke his cheek. There was no response. '_Is he going to die? If he is, what will happen to me? Surely, I won't hold out long without him._'

I quickly snapped out of my musings, pulling my hand back. My work was far from done.

* * *

A while later, I had finished cleaning the wounds on Kratos' back. Since they were rather deep, I had sacrificed my shirt to bandage it. If this kept up, I wouldn't have any clothes left. 

Those dragons were still out there, somewhere. They were probably going to find a nesting place near the center of the island. This meant that as soon as Kratos could walk again, we'd have to head for the beach, to keep as far away from those beasts as possible.

For hours, I waited for Kratos to regain consciousness. I was extremely tired, but I couldn't allow myself to sleep. I had to stay on guard, and keep an eye out for unwanted, fire breathing visitors. Just when I thought I might die of boredom, Kratos winced and slowly opened his eyes.

"Yuan?" he asked softly, causing me to look up.

"Thank the gods you're awake." I sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Kratos said shortly.

"Don't lie to me. You nearly died!" I hissed.

"And what exactly were you doing while I was unconscious?" he stared at my bare chest, raising an eyebrow.

"Tending to your injuries!" I shouted irritably.

Kratos blinked, looking down at his bandaged wounds.

"You used your _cloak_ to bandage my shoulder?" he asked, surprise extremely evident in his voice.

"So?" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"That thing is holy to you!"

"Your life is more precious to me than a piece of cloth." I muttered, looking away. I felt the strangest feeling in my cheeks… Was I blushing?

Kratos decided not to pursue the matter, and pushed himself to his feet.

"What are you doing?" I growled, looking up at him.

"We have to head for the beach. Those dragons are still around here." He spoke, leaning against the tree with his uninjured shoulder.

Heh, great minds think alike, apparently.

"Can you walk?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yes."

I narrowed my eyes, observing the human closely. He was lying again. Such a nasty habit. Perhaps he only wanted to appear strong. Or perhaps he didn't want to make me worry. But it annoyed me deeply.

"Liar." I got to my feet and approached him, pulling one of his arms around my shoulder for support.

Kratos blinked again, but decided to keep his mouth closed. Holding one hand against his waist to keep him close, I started to walk forward. Kratos gave a soft grunt in pain, matching my steps. How many more times was I supposed to drag him across the island?

* * *

By the time we'd made ourselves comfortable at the beach, the sun was already starting to set. Kratos sat in the sand, clutching his shoulder, as I picked some fruit from a tree nearby. Without saying a word, I tossed him an apple before settling down next to him. 

"Are your wrists feeling better now?" Kratos asked, watching my fingers twitch uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about me." I said shortly, not looking up.

"Obviously something doesn't want us to pass, putting a dark room and three huge dragons in our way." Kratos remarked.

"What kind of a lunatic would keep dragons at an island anyway?" I frowned.

"Rodyle would." he said, taking a bite from his apple.

Rodyle was without a doubt one of the creepiest people I had ever met. Small, wicked looking and a strange affection for things with scales. But he had been easy to manipulate. Too bad the Mana cannon plan backfired when he tried to use it on himself. It had become his downfall. Still, the man had had atleast _some_ common sense.

"Not even Rodyle would keep monsters like _that_." I sighed, shuddering at the memory of those grotesque heads. "And anyway, Rodyle is dead."

"I'm glad. I never could stand that guy." Kratos smirked.

"There must be something valuable down there." I continued my musings.

"Now that the dragons have left, we might have a chance of checking it out."

"Not yet!" I spoke quickly, stopping Kratos before he could plan something incredibly foolish. "We should recover first, and draw up some sort of battle plan. Lord knows what else could be down there."

"Hmm... I guess." Kratos leaned back in the sand again.

A long silence followed, as we both ate our fruit in peace, casting an occasional glance at the setting sun. How much longer would we be stuck here? Would we be killed by some other gruesome monster, before losing our minds? There were too many questions to ask. But one kept bothering me.

"Kratos?" I asked, rolling onto my side to face him.

"Hm?" he was lying on his back, breathing deeply.

"Why did you save me?"

"What do you mean?" Kratos didn't meet my gaze, staring up at the sky with a blank expression.

"You know perfectly well what I mean." I huffed. "I passed out, at the mercy of a murderous dragon. Though when I woke up, I was perfectly safe, while you had gained numerous deadly wounds. You protected me. Why?"

"Probably for the same reason you went through so much trouble, and even sacrificed your beloved cloak to nurse those wounds." Kratos responded simply.

"Hm… I guess." I sighed. The only problem was… I didn't know that reason. I could've easily left Kratos to die, just like he could've done for me. But I didn't.

"Sleep well, Yuan." He said suddenly, closing his eyes.

"Ah… 'Night."

I wondered faintly if I would be able to fall asleep at all, with the thought that those damn dragons were still around. It proved not to be a problem, however, as I dozed off within a minute.


	9. The Beast

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Hehe. I was talking to Meowzy on MSN and we realized just how much we had left to do. The problems aren't even beginning to end yet, and after that they all have to be solved, so… this could very well be a thirty-chapter fic!))

* * *

Chapter Nine (Kratos's PoV)  
The Beast.

When I awoke, I was keenly aware of two things. First, that Yuan's bandages did absolutely nothing for the pain in my wounds. And second, that the half-elf in question's head rested on my shoulder, the dead-weight pressure telling me he was asleep. He shifted his head ever-so-slightly, sending stabs of white-hot pain through my arms and torso and causing me to sharply draw breath in affliction. To make things worse, the shoulder he's using as a pillow happens to be the one wrapped in his cape. The one with the hole and the flesh burned away. Oh joy. Despite a fairly large amount of discomfort, I didn't wake him. He seemed so... peaceful. If only he was like that when he was awake. Heh. I don't know why I let him sleep; last time, I was away in an instant. I guess that someone who spent all their energy bandaging my wounds deserved to sleep off the fatigue resulting.

My head shifted slightly to the left, back toward the forest we came from, slowly enough so my shoulder didn't cry out in further pain. Oh, what a hell of a mess we'd gotten ourselves into. Only then did I realize how serious the situation was. We could die, honestly die, if we stayed on the island much longer. But we couldn't fly away, or use any communication devices, for our Cruxis Crystals and equipment were all nullified by some force emitted from the island. We couldn't raft off either, no, a big bad missile would fly out with amazing accuracy to blast our raft to smithereens. So we went to kill/turn off/otherwise kick the ass of whatever shot at us, and we got Big Red and Scary sicced on us. Now him and his two scaly accomplices were loose on the island, doing Martel knows what, and we had yet to infiltrate the island. Meanwhile, I couldn't very well waltz back in there, not in that condition. Or even waltz _anywhere_, for that matter, considering I doubt I could walk very well.

Oh goddess, I'm starting to sound like Yuan. Somebody, beat me over the head with a large blunt object. No, I'm serious.

I looked to the half-elf, lifting my left hand to brush his cerulean hair from his face and back behind his ear, and wincing as the muscles in my back that aided my arm's movement stung violently. At my touch, he mumbled something incomprehensible and turned his head away.

Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the forest to my left, where I was gazing moments before. My head whipped around, drawing a gasp of agony, and my ultrasensitive auburn eyes bored into the shadows and greenery. After a minute or so, my search proved unfruitful, yet I couldn't help but feel like I'd missed something. Like something was there.

My right arm made its way around to cover Yuan's mouth so he made no loud noises, despite excruciating protests from my shoulder. Eyes still locked on the forest, I drew my lips close to his ear.

"Time to wake up, Pervert Boy." I whispered, and his eyes fluttered open, immediately confused. He went to complain about the usage of his nickname, or something similarly unimportant, but realized my hand was over his mouth. The look in his eyes would have been priceless, had I not been so focused on whatever had rustled. Absolutely bewildered, it was. A moment later, the surprise turned to something I couldn't mistake. It was the look that said, 'You'd better explain what the hell's going on before I bite your hand.'

"We've got visitors." I hissed almost inaudibly, and his eyes darted to where mine were, apparently under the assumption that the dragons had returned. It very well may have been the two-headed beasts... Yet I wasn't so much afraid of them as before. I survived the first time, didn't I? Sure, I'll have the scars for the remainder of my life, but I survived. Who's to say I wouldn't again?

"Wait here." I slowly slid my hand from over Yuan's mouth, but he had the sense to stay silent. He was no longer watching the forest; now his attention was on me as I laboriously made my way to my feet, teeth gritted against the sting and ache of the wounded muscles and skin being pulled farther than it appreciated. I turned to step toward the trees, but suddenly a hand caught hold of the loser ends of the cape wrapped around my shoulder, causing me to lurch to a excruciating stop. I whirled on the half-elf with a snarl, my left hand instinctively flying up to my wounded right shoulder. He cringed slightly, but met my livid gaze unflinchingly. The bluenette bit his lip in uncertainty, before opening his mouth to explain himself.

"Kratos, no. If it _is_ something, how the hell will you fight back?" He hissed.

I lifted my right hand to rest it on Flamberge's hilt, making the movement as smooth as possible despite the pain. I had to appear strong enough, didn't I?

"Just like I did last time." My voice was even, though on the inside, I knew he was right.

"Kratos, you'll be _killed_! Does that mean nothing to you?" His voice was slightly louder, slightly stronger.

I turned away, back toward the forest. I couldn't answer. If I did, I knew it wouldn't be the answer he wanted. Honestly, it's meant nothing to me since-... since Anna died... And it's better that way. For an enemy with nothing to lose is the strongest enemy of all.

"Kratos, _please_..." I froze mid-step. His voice... I've only heard it like that once before. When he was begging Martel not to die, four thousand years ago. I turned slightly, and my eyes met his once more. They in themselves were begging me to stay, so full of desperation and... concern? No! It wasn't concern, I wouldn't believe it. If I had believed it, I may not have gone.

"Yuan, quiet. You'll bring the entire lot of them here, if you keep that volume." My voice was cold, but only to silence his pleading, for any more of it I may not have been able to resist.

He opened his mouth to protest further, but shut it with a pleading look. I turned away. What else was I to do? I turned away, and started toward the forest. This time, there was no pull at my bandaging to stop me. Each step brought agony to my back and shoulder, but I continued on. Soon the shadows of the trees washed over my body, a nice cool feeling on my skin. Everything seemed in order. Yet somehow, I knew it wasn't. I knew something was amiss. It was all quiet. Too quiet...

I kept walking, against all common sense and judgment, into the forest of hell that had housed the half-elf and myself for almost two weeks. If I had any common sense and judgment, I'd have brought Yuan along. Common sense tells me I could feed him to the beast and satisfy it long enough for me to get away. But whatever force this is that drives me on now would rather be eaten than see Yuan eaten. Heh. Oh how things have changed. I remember when we first got stuck on this island, and Yuan claimed he was nearly eaten by a man-eating plant. I didn't really care back then. I just laughed. And laughed. And laughed and laughed. But that's beside the point. He was the enemy. And I didn't care whether or not my enemy died. Remember? The whole reason I came here was to kill him. Though for some reason, I was glad I didn't.

I didn't know exactly when Yuan turned from enemy to ally in my mind. I didn't exactly care either. He'd made my stay on this island bearable. Without him, I'd probably be dead. Eaten by a dragon or maybe even some man-eating plant. If they even exist.

I was too deep in my thoughts to notice that a shadow had fallen over me, colder than the shadows of the forest. If I'd kept my guard up, I wouldn't have allowed myself to be ambushed like I did. But instead, I only noticed my attacker when it wrapped its massive jaws around my waist and jerked me quickly backwards.

I yelped in surprise, grabbing the hilt of my sword and drawing it, but the unexpected backward pull caused me to fumble and drop it. I swore, ramming my elbow into the upper jaw of... the man-eating plant? I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. So he really_ was_ telling the truth. I continued to beat and kick it, looking wildly around for its eyes so I could gouge them, a surefire way to distract any beast. To my dismay, this thing seemed to have no eyes, just a massive jaw, jagged teeth, and what felt like mildly acidic saliva to help digest its prey.

Of course it had no eyes, stupid, stupid Kratos! It was a plant, resembling the fly-eating variety, which used sensors and reflex to catch their prey. I must have stepped on one of its roots or something of the sort. With no eyes to gouge and no sword, I was pretty much screwed.

I felt the teeth slicing into my sides, the saliva making its way into the cuts on my back and bringing tears to my eyes with the pain. I bit my lip in an attempt to block out the pain, but I bit it so hard it bled and I could _still _feel the burning in excruciating detail. This whole thing had a note of twisted humor in it... How I've killed angels and heroes, monsters and men, but I'm being eaten by the only thing alive with teeth but no brain.

It never occurred to me to call to Yuan. In the heat of the moment, I'd forgotten that I wasn't alone on this island, being accustomed to so many years of solitude. Even if I had remembered, however, I doubt I could have yelled loud enough for him to hear, seeing as the breath was being driven from my lungs by a pair of amazingly strong jaws, crushing me slowly. Only when I heard a surprised 'Kratos?' and a war cry of 'Burn in hell, pansy!' did I recall my bluenette companion. And by the time I could ask him to hand me my sword, I was being unceremoniously dropped to the dirt, the plant's jaws still embedded in my side. I glanced down, to realize that Yuan had lopped off its head with his double-ended sword, the end oozing a translucent green substance. He then crouched beside me, slipping his hands between my sides and the jaws and prying them apart. Though my vision was blurring slightly from the pain, I could still see him wince when he caught sight of my wounds and my back.

"Shame we ran out of bandages." I managed to laugh slightly, though it sounded a bit like a choke. He didn't seem to find this funny, however. Not at all. For some reason, it seemed to make him more worried. I leaned up slightly and propped myself up on my elbows, ignoring the pain in my abdomen and managing to do so without any sign of it outwardly.

"Yuan, I'm fine, see?" I went to sit up fully to prove it, but a sudden stab of agony shot through my upper half, and I gasped in pain, my vision swimming even worse than before.

"No you're not, see?" He replied, and I felt his arm slide across my back to support me in case I were to collapse again. Part of me wanted to shrug off his aid, to tell him that even if I was dying it wasn't his concern... But that's the part of me that got me like that to begin with. The proud side of me that always gets me hurt in the end. So instead, I grudgingly accepted his aid, slowly leaning into the support, despite the protests of the wounds under pressure from his arm.

"Why do you always help me, Yuan?" I murmured, my eyes half closed.

"Because you don't deserve to die," came his reply, and let out a weak snort of amusement.

"Ah really? That's news. I deserved to die a long time ago, Yuan, but... If memory serves me, you've been there to stop me each time."

"Your job in this world isn't done." He replied, his voice soft, as if he'd just told me one of his best kept secrets. I looked up at him, but he was looking at the ground beside him, refusing to meet my gaze.

Puzzled, I looked away once more. For a while, we sat there in silence... Long enough to put his leg to sleep, I guess. He shifted his weight onto the other one, and his arm jostled slightly, sending a fresh wave of pain down my back. I winced slightly, attempting to mask it at the last minute, but failing miserably. Quite obviously, he noticed.

"Come on, we need to get you somewhere... else." The half-elf decided, and though he was very nonspecific, I somehow understood exactly what he meant. I made a small grunt of accord and pushed myself up once more, only to feel that same stab of pain. I hissed slightly in discomfort.

"Uh, Yuan? A slight problem has arisen." I managed through clenched teeth.

"Shit, I forgot. Uh…" Yuan looked around, searching for something. "Hate to break it to you, Captain, but the only way out of here is if you..."

Though he trailed off, I knew where he was heading. If I wanted out, I'd have to-

"Yuan-back-ride?" I can't help it. My voice betrayed all the amusement I felt. He raised his hand to smack me upside the head, but hesitated and thought better of it.

"I don't find this funny." He replied, his face a mix of puzzlement and awkwardness.

"I suppose not. After all, the humor must have worn out after the sixth Renegade who got a Yuan-back-ride, eh, Pervert Boy?" I smirked, causing him to turn a light shade of red.

"If you weren't hurt right now, I'd beat you 'till you-"

"If I weren't hurt right now, the prospect of a Yuan-back-ride wouldn't even be thought of." I interrupted, silencing the bluenette. For a moment.

"Come on then, quit bleeding all over my arm and... well... get on." He finished rather awkwardly turning around and presenting his back. I chuckled inaudibly, before heaving myself up into a crouch and slowly easing my weight onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck so I didn't fall off backwards.

It felt... awkward, to say the least.

Yuan smoothly rose, attempting to make as few sharp moves as possible, and surveyed his surroundings. Our surroundings. Is it just me, or was I in an extremely compromising position? I think I was. Considering neither of us had a shirt. Thank the goddess we were the only ones on the island. I'd have shit if anyone had seen me like this. And I don't mean the injuries.

"Hey Kratos? I think I see a hot spring."

"How can you see _anything_, with the trees this thick?" I replied, squinting slightly into the shadows.

"I'm a half-elf, remember? I can see twice as good as you, without your Crystal." He replied.

"Heh, oh yeah. Where is it?"

"In the general that-way direction." He replied, jerking his head toward the forest about forty-five degrees to our right, his hands being busy keeping me off the ground.

"Let's go, then." I replied, and we were off. I must admit, Yuan surprised me. I didn't expect him to trudge very long before he made me get off and walk by myself, but instead, he even refused when I offered. He'd changed since he arrived, I knew that much. Maybe he just needed some company and some nice, friendly name-calling. Heh.

Before long we found ourselves on the edge of a steaming pool. I braced myself for him to drop me, but instead he crouched down beside it.

"In. The water'll make your wounds better, hopefully." He ordered, and I had no complaints.

It'd been a while since I last bathed of my own accord, and a nice dip in a hot spring never failed to relax me and soothe my pain. I found that my muscles and such had grown stiff, in the long amount of time they were held in that same position, but again, nothing a little dip in the spring couldn't fix. Easing myself from the half-elf's back, I slipped into the pool, seating myself in the fairly shallow end where my head could rest on a rock just above the surface. I closed my eyes, sighing contently, while the water around me turned red. Red with my blood, but red with my problems as well, the biggest being how the hell to get off this hellish island.

Something felt wrong, however. I couldn't relax, not completely. After a minute, I opened my eyes, glancing over at Yuan. He sat cross-legged, facing into the forest, his elbow rested on his knee and his chin in his hand. He looked... alone.

"Hey, Yuan? My conscience won't let me relax until you're in here too, so come on." He looked to me in surprise.

"Why? No, you relax and heal and whatever, I'll keep watch."

"Yuan, come on."

"No."

"Yuan, get your ass in this spring."

"My ass is fine right here."

"Yuan!" Frustrated, I pulled my arm out of the water, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him backwards into the water. He managed to shout in alarm before he hit the water, and he came up sputtering. Before he could yell, or smack me, or whatever he had in mind, I closed my eyes again in a contented fashion.

"Good. Now stay." I murmured.

"I'm not a dog, I'm a seraph." He protested indignantly, and the traces of a smirk came to my lips.

"I know, mine listens far better than you do."

"Noishe isn't a dog, you know that."

"Well if you want to get technical, you're not a seraph."

"The hell I'm not!" He replied, once more indignant.

"Pull out your wings for me, Yuan." I replied, though it was a rhetorical request, for I didn't need to open my eyes to know that he couldn't.

"Point made." He grumbled.

"I know. Now relax, enjoy the water." I replied, and within moments I felt him sit beside me, his shoulder almost brushing mine. I didn't find this curious as I once would have, nor did I accuse him of perverted motives. He probably, like me, wanted to sit where it's not too deep, and not too shallow.

I allowed us to sit in silence a while... Obviously a little too long, for I felt the call of sleep tugging at the corners of my mind. After a moment's resistance, I gave in.

"Thanks, Yuan." I murmured, my words slightly slurred as I drift into sleep.

"For what?" I hear from beside me, a bit tired as well.

"For everything." Those are my last words before I fade into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

((**Spiritua:** Sorry it took so long, I'm having a few real life problems right now. I hope you like it.  
**Meowzy:** -_hugs Spiritua_- It'll be okay. ... Oh dear, I'm next.)) 


	10. The Machine

((A/N: **Meowzy:** Sorry it took so long! I uh... Don't even really have that much of an excuse. I guess I haven't had much time to write. Thanks for all the reviews up to now!))

* * *

Chapter ten (Yuan's PoV)  
The Machine.

The next few days were spent by the hotsprings in peace. For once, Kratos and I were on fairly good terms with each other. At least, he didn't spend his time making mean comments, or acting arrogant. He was kinda… nice. Though, things had slowly changed between us in the duration of two weeks on a deserted island. I wondered faintly how much more they would continue to change.

I had found a special medicinal plant close to the springs. After putting a few twigs of that in the water, it really sped up the healing process. Within three days, Kratos was well enough to walk. Though I wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing.

"Stop! Slow down, you bastard!" I called, striding after him as he made his way to the center of the island.

"No. Now that the dragons are gone, we'll have a decent chance to find out what else is hidden in there." Kratos replied simply.

"But you're not well yet." I argued. Damn, for an injured person, he sure could move fast.

"I'm well enough to walk."

"Yes, captain, I can see that." I huffed. "But if we get attacked by dragons again, we won't escape so lucky."

"Perhaps. We're not getting anywhere by sitting still." He turned to face me for a moment, wearing a stern expression. "Besides, weren't you the one who was desperate to get off this island?"

"Not if it kills us!" I spluttered.

Kratos shook his head softly and continued walking towards the mountain range, giving a slight wave with his hand.

"You're mental!" I shouted after him. Glancing around nervously, I noticed that it might be a bad idea to stay behind by myself. What with the dragons that were still out there, and what happened last time I'd wandered off by myself…

"Wait for me!" I sped after him, shuddering at the thought of more of those flesh-eating plants.

* * *

"It was around here somewhere, wasn't it?" 

We were walking up the mountain, trying to find that plateau again. It was probably the only way in.

"More in that direction, I think." I pointed to the right.

"Then we're going there." Kratos turned left.

"What? But-"

"Yuan, the only way to get there is to do the exact opposite of what _you_ want to do." Kratos said simply.

"You're nuts!" I shouted, running after him. "My directional skills might be a bit… lacking, but going in the exact opposite direction makes no sense!"

"Oh really?" Kratos paused, smiling. "What's that then?"

"Sheer luck." I grunted, staring at the stone plateau.

We walked onto it, glancing around. Now that the snow was gone, other strange symbols were visible. Though they weren't as big as the one in the center.

"Now what?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"We'll get the trapdoor to open and jump in." Kratos approached the center and kneeled down, banging his fist on the ground. It sounded mildly hollow.

"Are you nuts? How can you be sure that whatever force caused us to slow down will appear again this time? I don't want to fall to my doom!" I hissed, standing a short distance away from him.

"We'll depend on that 'sheer luck' again." Kratos got to his feet again, jumping up and down to try and get the trapdoor to open. Nothing happened.

"You're a moron."

"If you say so." Kratos mumbled, thinking deeply. Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. Then, the ground underneath us suddenly disappeared.

"I did it!" Kratos called happily as we fell to into the darkness again.

"I hate you." I hissed.

"Interesting though. The trapdoor is designed so that only two people can enter the center. You can't enter alone." He pondered, not really listening.

"Yeah, how wonderful. Truly amazing." I said sarcastically. "If we die this time, I'll blame you."

"Go right ahead." Kratos said calmly. "But until we reach the ground, relax."

"Oh, yeah, I'll relax alright!" I hissed, reaching out to throttle him. Sadly, gravitational powers made it impossible for me to get to him.

A short while later, we suddenly slowed down again. I breathed a sigh of relief. We weren't going to crash just yet. Instead, we landed with an unceremonious thump.

"My back is killing me." I groaned, glaring into the darkness.

"Let's try to find that door again."

I was aware of Kratos getting to his feet. He was walking away.

"Dammit! Wait for me!" I shouted, rushing after him. Not quite knowing where he was, I suddenly bumped into him.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!" I quickly backed away again. Bumping into someone with deep wounds in their back and a very sharp sword was not a smart thing to do.

Instead of a mean comment, I heard footsteps. Kratos had continued walking. Phew…

* * *

"Where is that thing?" I asked for the fifth time. We'd wandered through the darkness, feeling the walls, for a pretty long time now. 

"Right here." Kratos said suddenly, pounding his fist against metal. A crack of light appeared.

"Huh… Did we close that door last time?" I asked, frowning.

"Not that I can recall. But it doesn't matter." Kratos completely pushed it open, showering us in light. Just like last time, it took us a minute or two to adjust our eyes.

The room was completely deserted. Glass shards lay scattered on the floor, as the dome overhead had broken. The dragons were nowhere in sight and the half-circle door across the room was still open.

"Let's go." Kratos said, sounding extremely determined.

We walked to the other side of the room, keeping close to the walls to avoid the sea of glass. Stepping in one of those pieces would be very, very painful. Finally, we made our way through the suspicious door. Whatever lay beyond it, those dragons guarded it. Atleast, until they were set free.

The room we entered looked extremely bland. Scorch marks burnt the walls and a strange smell lingered. This must've been the dragon's cage.

"Ugh…" I pinched my nose shut.

"Look over there." Kratos pointed to a nearly hidden metal door on the other side. It was too small for a dragon to fit through, but large enough for a human.

We approached it and pushed it open. The next room was a whole lot more interesting. Though the walls on the left and right sides were bare, there was a strange machine right in front of us. It was built into the wall, decorated with blinking lights and small levers. There was another door to the far left of the wall, and a window a few feet above the device. Of course, we paid no notice to that.

"These must be the controls for the field that's nullifying our Cruxis crystals." I concluded, approaching the machine. It seemed very complicated.

"How does it work?" Kratos asked, also staring at it.

"Obviously, we uh…" I paused glancing around. There wasn't a manual in sight. I thought deeply, examining the buttons and levers. "We should kick it."

"Why kick it?" Kratos frowned deeply.

"It worked for that door." I shrugged.

"Heh, have fun."

I pulled my foot back, placing a hard kick against the base of the machine. That was probably a big mistake. I was soon hopping around on my other foot, clutching my injured toe and cursing loudly.

"Shut the hell off, you damn machine!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the panel. Again, a big mistake. What the heck was this thing made of?

I gritted my teeth against the pain, wondering if maybe we should forget about the machine for a second and check out that door on the left. Just then, I saw Kratos press a red button on the panel. There was a strange scraping sound.

"What the hell did you do?" I hissed, glancing around nervously.

Then I noticed that the left and right walls were starting to move towards us. Both doors were immediately closed behind thick iron bars. I promptly smacked Kratos upside the head.

"You always have to touch stuff, don't you? You see a button and you just _can't_ resist."

"It's your influence, moron." He retorted, though he couldn't quite hide the shock in his voice.

We moved as far to the middle of the room as possible, standing back to back as the walls continued to close in on us. If this kept up, we'd be killed. Squashed like a pancake. Not a very nice prospect. By now, the door on the far left had been closed off completely by the moving walls. Not that we could've escaped through it anyway. The only thing that would remain intact now was the machine, that was built into the wall in such a way all the levers would stay unharmed as the walls passed by it.

"Yuan, I'm sorry I was always mean to you." Kratos said softly.

"Stop talking like that! We're not dead yet." I hissed. Though the walls were getting awfully close now…

Deciding there wasn't anything else for it, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my double-saber. I loved that thing, but it was our only chance. I quickly unfolded it, putting it between the walls to keep them from crushing us. It seemed to be working…

"Yuan…" Kratos seemed slightly astounded.

"No time to talk. We have to get out of here." I glanced around, looking for a way out. The only exit left was the window above the machine.

Expecting Kratos to follow, I started to clamber on top of the panel, reaching out to open the window. It was locked.

"Hand over your sword." I ordered.

Kratos complied without hesitation, unsheathing his Flamberge and holding it out. I snatched it, using the hilt to break the glass. Just then, the room started to rumble. Probably a side-effect from the walls being held apart. Quickly getting rid of all the glass pieces that were still stuck on the frame, I climbed through the window before turning back to hold out a hand to Kratos. He immediately took it, clambering onto the machine and through the window as well. Yet another narrow escape, due to sheer luck.


	11. The Revelation

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Hehe, the plot thickens. I think. o.O Ah well. Enjoy.))

* * *

Chapter Eleven (Kratos' PoV)  
The Revelation

I went to take off at a run when we made it out the window, but I found myself on the narrow edge of a high-up windowsill, my arms wheeling wildly in an attempt to regain my balance. Right as I began to fall, however, the half-elf caught my wrist, pulling me back. Once safely balanced once more, I heaved a sigh of relief, only to be startled once more as the ledge beneath me shook violently. The room was apparently having extreme objections to being held apart as it was. I could feel him wince beside me, obviously regretting the fate of his poor saber.

"Think it'll hold up? We need that room open so we can access the controls and get us off this island." I questioned, and after a moment's pause, he nodded.

"Yeah, I think it will. That's the strongest saber I've ever wielded, so I think it can deal with a couple of measly wall-closing-in traps." Yuan replied dryly, though I could hear a shadow of doubt in his voice. I hesitated, then nodded in return. My hand slipped down to my belt, then to the sword at my right. Flamberge. My left hand joined my right at my belt, but on the opposite side.

At this point, Yuan sent me quite the strange look. The 'what in the name of all things sharp and shiny are you doing?' look. But I didn't answer him.

After a moment of indecision, I untied the leather cord attaching Flamberge's sheath to my waist, unlacing it from the belt loops and tossing the sword, sheath and all, to Yuan. He wasn't expecting this, and he just barely jerked his arms up in time to catch it, holding it before him with an incredulous look.

"Kratos, this is no time for Pass the Pointy Thing, however entertaining it is." The bluenette commented. Sarcasm and slight mockery never failed to make him appear smart when he was otherwise speechless.

"Take it, you need it more than I do." I offered, refusing to look at my faithful blade so as to make sure I didn't change my mind.

"Uh, Kratos? Unless you know something I don't, like maybe how the hell you're going to fight with no blade and why I couldn't do so myself, you need it as much as I do myself." He replied, still holding the sword out as if it were a prized artifact he was entrusted with. I reached to my boot, pulling the dagger from where it rested slipped in between the two layers of leather. I held it out before me, its silver edge gleaming proudly in the sunlight.

"See this dagger? I'm sure you've seen it before, on numerous occasions. This is Gladius, the mystic elven treasure of Ymir Forest. It is a fine fighting dagger if I've ever seen one." I replied, but he still looked skeptical.

"Kratos, what if we meet up with Big-Mean-and-Ugly again? Or worse, him and his two buddies? You can't fight them off with a dagger."

But I didn't respond. I didn't even open my mouth. Instead, I slipped my left hand under the waist of my pants, drawing out a long, hard object that was hidden under the mercenary-purple drakehide. It was a sword in a sheath, one that I've carried with me far longer than I can remember, but never once used in the last twenty years. It was Spatha, the blade given to me long ago by Thor, the man who taught me in the art of swordsmanship. Hell, it must have been over four thousand years since I received this blade... Though I hadn't drawn it since just after Lloyd was born. Now it was time to use it again.

Having tied the scabbard to my waist as Flamberge's had been, I drew it from its sheath with a familiar metallic hiss, brandishing the impressive sword a moment before resting the blade in my left hand, the hilt resting in my right. My eyes washed over the familiar sword once more, its deep violet blade glowing furiously, as if objecting to being hidden for twenty years.

Yuan's eyes, meanwhile, were as big as saucers.

"Kratos? What the hell is that?" He asked, unable to take his eyes off of my sword.

"Well, Yuan, if my eyes serve me right, it's a sword." I reply dryly, sarcasm evident in my tone.

"No, you idiot, I mean... You've had that all along? God, I think I know a guy, and he goes and pulls a big ass sword out of his pants." His voice was incredulous, though the last sentence was, I think, aimed at nobody in particular. I snorted slightly in amusement.

"If you could put your eyeballs back into your head please, Yuan, and strap Flamberge onto your belt, we may be able to escape before the whole place comes down." I advised, and this seemed to shake Yuan out of his awed state. He hastily did what I asked, and I stepped toward the edge, looking over it at the ground far below. I heard Yuan come up behind me, and I felt his hand grab my arm, as if restraining me from something.

"Kratos, I don't like that look in your eye."

"Neither do I, Yuan. Now follow my lead, and for Martel's sake, don't scream this time."

In the midst of my words, I'd turned to face him, and now that I was done, I closed my eyes, and allowed myself to fall backward over the edge. After a moment of that sickening falling sensation, and listening to Yuan scream, 'KRATOS!' over the window ledge, I opened my eyes. Time to stop myself from dying. I allowed myself to flip in midair so I was upright once more, only to see Yuan dive over the edge after me, apparently under the assumption that I was falling to my doom.

Then I saw something I thought I'd never see. A pair of light lavender wings flickered into existence on the bluenette's back. But the half-elf didn't seem to notice them, and before I could point them out, the wings had flickered into oblivion once more.

It was then that I realized I was still falling. Oh shit.

I drew Spatha, plunging its blade into the rocky cliff face. The rock there was soft, and even if it was hard, there was not a thing in Symphonia, aside from the Eternal Sword, stronger than the blade I held in my hand. With an ear-piercing screech and sparks flying left and right, the blade began to slow my descent so the impact wouldn't be fatal. I looked up, only to see Yuan watching me as if I'd jumped to my death.

"Yuan, DO IT!" I roared, and he shook his head to clear it, drawing Flamberge and repeating my maneuver so his fall as well was somewhat controlled.

Some minute later, I collapsed on the ground, my landing harsh but only mildly painful. I only just remembered to roll out of the way, before Yuan collapsed where I was laying moments before.

"Kratos?" He breathed, eyes slightly widened, chest heaving.

"Yes, Yuan?"

"Remind me to kill you, when my heart stops hammering."

"I'm afraid I'm only mildly inclined to do that, Yuan, for death at this point doesn't sound too appealing." I replied, smirking slightly in amusement.

"Ah really? You could have fooled me, with your suicide dive back there." Heaved the half-elf, rising halfway to lean on his elbows. I was only slightly paying attention, however, for I'd sat upright, and my eyes were upon my Spatha once more. Yuan cocked his head and came to sit beside me, his gaze on the sword as well.

"What's the story on this one?" The bluenette softly inquired, and I looked to him a moment, wondering how much of the story I intended to tell him.

"When I was about four thousand years younger, just before I joined you and Mithos and Mar-" I paused, unwilling to mention her name, for I knew not how it would effect him. "…-before I joined your group, I was apprentice to a man by the name of Thor. He was a different sort of man, extremely strong and imposing yet never having killed another being. He believed strongly in harmony between forces, like... He taught me all he knew in the art of swordsmanship, which was far more than most people knew and even more than most people today, but at the same time, he taught me the healing arts that those of elven blood had created. He wanted me to know how to heal those wounded as well as I knew how to wound those healed. I struggled with the healing arts, for I had not a drop of elven blood in my veins, but through some miracle I managed to learn them, and even grow skilled in them. When I bested him in a swordfight, he decided my training was through, and over the next week he crafted me a blade of the finest materials he had, and infused it with a drop of my very own blood. It turned a livid purple color, then faded to violet. So it was decided that violet was my color. Following that, he had mercenary outfits fitted and made to match, crafted of drake-hide and the most comfortable materials available. He never told me his motives behind such actions. He died within a year, too soon for me to think to ask him. Before his death, however, he told me that this blade holds amazing powers, beyond even his comprehension, and that its name is Spatha. And he was right, about the first part. It never did cease to amaze me."

A spark of recognition lit in Yuan's eyes.

"I remember this sword, from when we were on our journey. Mithos wanted it from the moment he saw it and its powers." The bluenette mused.

"Indeed he did. I'd have ran it through his heart before I let him have it, though." I agreed, and Yuan nodded. Mithos and I never did have a true friendship. I was always just a dirty human to him, no matter how many times I proved better than him at swordsmanship and magic, and no matter how many times I healed him when he got himself into a mess.

"If it's so powerful, why haven't you used it all along? You could have totally owned Mithos with it, you could have stopped him from nearly destroying the two worlds." Yuan reasoned, and I shook my head.

"By the time I realized how truly horrible his plans were, it was too late." I said softly.

"Too late? What do you mean? You could have still kicked his ass, no matter when you realized it."

"No, I couldn't. By the time I realized it, I had already vowed never to kill with it again, and had already had Flamberge crafted by angels as its replacement." My voice was even softer than before. Yuan paused, uncertain.

"Why would you not use it? Why did you make that vow?"

"The last blood this sword tasted was... Anna's." I whispered, and Yuan's eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth, obviously intending to say something comforting, but shut it again, at loss for what to say. I turned away with a 'hmph'.

"I don't want your pity, Yuan, so save it." I snarled, attempting to regain my dignity after my moment of weakness. I felt him recoil, but a moment later I felt his hand rest on my shoulder. I did not pull away, however, nor did I 'hmph' again. I guess he took this as me promising not to kill him if he spoke again.

"I know you don't, and I'm not giving you any. You're the last person I'd pity. You're strong, smart, the owner of probably the strongest sword under the Eternal Sword, and a kickass fighter."

I snorted in amusement.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to sweet-talk me." I smirked. Yuan's jaw dropped.

"Bastard." Came his reply, and I shrugged.

"If the glove fits." I agreed, rising to my feet and sliding Spatha back into its sheath. The light around us became considerably less purple now that the glow from my sword had been hidden away, and, in a sense, this new light was harsher on the eyes. I squinted a moment, before my eyes adjusted and I could open them completely once more.

I looked to the half-elf and continued. "Now come on, we need to go somewhere away from all this until we figure out how the hell we're going to work things."

"Affirmative, Captain." Came his reply, and we rose to our feet, slipping off into the forest and following a path through the undergrowth until the harsh stone walls were no longer visible behind us. Yet still I continued, for a good five minutes more.

* * *

Eventually I halted, and looked about me. Satisfied with my surroundings, I promptly sank to the dirt, my legs crossed. Looking at me quizzically, he sank to the ground beside me. Yet I did not speak. I sat staring at the dirt before me, deep in thought. The half-elf appeared even more confused at this, glancing from me to the dirt and back to me, apparently attempting to see what captured my interest. 

"Yuan, in the short time that we were in its presence, what did you observe about the machine in that room? Any weaknesses, faults, or ways to otherwise shut it off?" I questioned suddenly.

"Well, there were buttons all over, but none of them seemed to be for anything crucial." He replied thoughtfully.

"Oh." I reply, my hopes deflated.

"But there _were_ those three weird holes…" He continued, and I looked to him suddenly.

"Holes?" I demanded, and he nodded.

"Three of them. Two of them were more of indentions, though. One was circular, or close to it, one was roughly diamond-shaped, and one was a hole for apparently some sort of key."

"And you decided this unimportant enough not to mention?"

Yuan ducked his head slightly, regretting his decision.

"Well I would have if you hadn't pushed the one button that collapsed the room. I kinda forgot about the holes when I had to focus on saving your sorry ass instead." He grumbled, and I replied with a 'hmph'. We smoldered in silence for a minute or so, before he seemed to swallow his pride and continue.

"So it seems we need to locate the two objects and the key before we can even THINK of turning off the machine. This seems to get more and more complicated by the day, don't you think?"

"Agreed. I can't help but wonder how complicated things intend to get before things start clearing up." I replied, and he looked to me.

"But you've gotta admit, its not as bad as you thought it'd be, being stuck with me, now is it?" He smirked, and I shrugged in response.

"When you're not running your mouth or being a closet pervert, sure, its not that bad." I replied, causing his eyes to widen and his face to turn a slight shade of red, though whether from embarrassment or anger I'm not sure.

"Feh."

"So where are we going to start looking for said objects?" I question, offering an escape from the awkward moment.

"You're asking _me_? You're not going to do the 'ask Yuan, then go the opposite way' thing again, are you?" The half-elf eyed me suspiciously, and I shrugged.

"It works every time."

"Hmph. Fine. I think we should go... That-a-way." He replied, pointing to the left. I nodded, then lifted myself off to head to the right. I felt him come up beside me, nursing his pride a bit.

"You're harsh on a man's dignity, you know that, right?"

"Its my job." I shrugged, walking off down a path opposite the one Yuan indicated and feeling a strange sense of accomplishment when he followed without complaint. We expected to wander that path for a good ten minutes at the very least, but we didn't. In fact, I'd be lying if I said it was more than a minute. Thirty seconds in, Yuan broke the silence.

"Do you hear something?" He questioned. I tensed up and paused, listening for a long moment, before 'hmph'ing and continuing on my way.

"No, and neither did you. Quit being paranoid, Yuan, or nobody will believe you when a _real_ danger is nearby." I snapped, for I was none too fond of false alarms that reveal how tense I truly was. Who _wouldn't_ be tense though, with three dragons and numerous other dangers loose and nowhere to run?

"Shut up, bastard, and don't pretend you aren't as worried as I am." He snarled, apparently still just as distasteful of my comments. I barely kept from smirking, and thank Martel I did, else he would have exploded. Heh, I remember a time when I didn't care what the hell he said to me or how he felt... Much simpler times, those were. But for some reason, I don't much mind caring.

I suddenly felt his gaze upon me, and I tensed uncomfortably, looking over to meet his cerulean eyes.

"What's on your mind?" He asked, his voice much calmer than before. I shook my head, looking to the path ahead. His curious gaze still followed me, however. For a few seconds we walked in silence.

"Yuan... We're friends, right?"

Though I heard and felt my own vocal chords voice the question, it came of its own accord, and it sounded foreign in my ears. It sounded more like something the bluenette would ask. He seemed to think so as well, for his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, I guess-" He started, then paused. After a moment, a grin spread across the half-elf's face. "Hell yeah we're friends, as sure as Rodyle and his dragon are lovers!"

I couldn't help but grin at his joke on the Desian Grand Cardinal.

"Why do you ask?" He continued, and I looked away. I don't know why I did, but I did. I didn't know the answer to his question. Or so I tried to think.

I realize he's awaiting an answer.

"Well, I-" I started, but I was cut off by a deafening roar. Part of me was relieved not to have to answer, but as my hand flew to Spatha's hilt, I knew that was the least of my problems.

"I told you I heard something!" Shot Yuan, his hand flying to his belt as well, but when it caught on the hilt of a sword rather than the wingpack-like object that extended into his Swallow, he glanced down in alarm. Only upon looking at the sword did he seem to recall that it was his now, and he drew it quickly, shifting it from his left hand to his right to find what felt most natural with the foreign weapon.

"You can gloat _after_ we kick its ass." I replied, my eyes on the beast before us. We'd followed the path to the edge of a clearing, and before us stood the blood-red scaled creature that had nearly killed us eight days prior. It glared at us doubly fiercely; this beast obviously remembered us. The left head bore a scar on the crest of its nose, where I rammed Flamberge through its top jaw from the inside when it lunged at Yuan, though that seemed to have made it only the angrier. The right head eyed me with its left eye, the one I'd not gouged out in my haste to get its fang from my shoulder, and the other eye was shut to hide the bloody remains. It roared again, obviously furious. And Yuan and I both knew that furious dragons weren't to be taken lightly.

"Good luck." I offered him.

"Don't die." He replied, and as both we and the dragon charged to meet in the center, it was as if the previous battle had never ceased. I immediately fell into combat with the right head, barely dodging as its snakelike head shot toward me at inhuman speed. Only now did I realize how truly shitty mortality is, with my powers gone, my reflexes slowed, and my senses dulled. But there was nothing I could do about it, so I didn't let it distract me for more than a moment.

I lunged at the beast's throat, though I made the mistake of depending on momentum for speed as I did with the heavier Flamberge. My lunge was so slow that the dragon's jaws were in the way before I could come even near the throat, its fangs dripping and hissing slightly with acidic saliva. The jaws clamped down on my sword, but when I grabbed the hilt with both hands and threw my weight against the pull, I felt something tear in my shoulder. Releasing with both hands and gasping in pain, I fell to one knee, my right hand clutching my pained left shoulder, and the right head proceeded to shake my sword viciously, as it would its prey. When I brought my hand away, it was crimson with blood. I'd reopened my wound!

"Kratos!" I heard Yuan cry, and from the corner of my eye I saw him falter.

"The dragon!" I called back through clenched teeth, forcefully sending his attention back to the left head.

The right head seemed to scent the blood, halting in its shaking of my sword and flaring its scaly nostrils. It tossed Spatha carelessly aside, its head slowly drawing closer. It thought I was done for, I realized. It was playing with me. Playing with its food. I looked to the blood on my hand. The crimson we've come to associate with hatred and death. Yet in it, I saw a distinct purpleish hue, faint but there, mixed with miniscule flecks of ruddy brown. Aionis. My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but half-grin. I wasn't so doomed after all.

Rising to my feet, I opened my bloody hand wide, and aimed it at my sword.

"SPATHA!" I bellowed, and with a blinding flash, the sword came flying into my crimson hand, just in time to deflect a lunge from the dragon. Quickly, I swipe my hand over the wound again, muttering 'First Aid' to heal my shoulder wound and regain use of my arm.

Glancing to Yuan, I found him wielding Flamberge somewhat awkwardly, yet deftly enough to fend off most of the dragon's attacks. Again, I could scarcely believe my eyes. For a split second, a pair of light-origined wings flickered on his back, sending the left head wheeling back in alarm. He seemed confused as to why the beast recoiled, but took that opportunity to lunge at its throat. It just barely blocked it in time, having recovered from its shock a moment before.

"GO AT ITS NECK!" I called, dodging under the dragon's head to throw myself up onto its back, and watching as Yuan took the next moment to follow suit. I took my sword's hilt in my right hand, swinging it around the right head's neck to slit its throat.

In a flash of red and a blinding pain, I was flung sideways to land in a disheveled heap in the grass nearly a hundred feet away. Blinking furiously as a dizzy heat and red spots made it nearly impossible to see, I unsteadily rose back to my feet. Bastard dragon, waited 'till I was distracted and threw me off with a swing of its head. I groped around for Spatha, only to have my vision clear and to see it at the dragon's feet, the head hovering over it protectively. It seemed to dare me to come for my weapon, come to my doom. _Not gonna happen, bastard._ Swiping my hand over my bleeding shoulder I went to summon Spatha to me once more, only to recall that I'd used First Aid to seal the wound when my hand came back dry.

"Yuan!" I cried, and he glanced my way, dodging under the head he was fighting to fling himself my way. The dragon lingered a moment, before the right head picked up Spatha between its jaws and the crimson beast came slowly toward us.

"Are you hurt?" Yuan replied, but I made no reply, placing my left hand on his blade to steady it, and running it through my right hand. The bluenette's eyes widened in surprise as I hissed in pain, sliding the sword from my newest wound and returning it to Yuan. "What the hell?" He demanded, but I again ignored his words, rising to my feet and roaring once more.

"SPATHA!" The sword flashed, and flew from the dragon's jaws, jerking out the fangs that were holding it in place. The dragon howled in pain and rage as I reached out and clasped the handle with my bleeding hand. It flashed slightly upon contact with my hand, and the dragon took this as its cue to finish us off before I could become any more of a threat. It lunged toward us, swinging its wings to propel it toward us and give its lunge the element of speed. We leapt into the fray, and the battle was even fiercer than before, no time for thought between each lunge and swing. Eventually, the dragon grew impatient, as it did with the first fight. And an impatient dragon is even more dangerous than a pissed off one.

The next time its head shot toward me, I scarcely avoided being bitten in half, and while my balance was still off, it swiped out with a lightning-fast forelimb and flung me away once more. This time I landed on my feet, though the force sent me to one knee and skidding backwards. I rose to my feet, just in time to see both heads snaking at Yuan.

"Yuan!" I cried, and my sword flashed. "JUDGMENT!"

A blinding light flew from the end of my sword and rained down on the dragon, and I felt the strength fly from my body like freed birds from a cage. I heard the dragon give a roar of agony as I dropped to one knee, one hand on the ground to steady myself and my head resting on my raised knee. I felt the static feeling of mana slowly dissipate, but I found myself unable to rise, or do anything more than breathe heavily, and even _that_ took effort. But I couldn't help but feel triumphant, however weak my grip on consciousness was. The dragon was dead, and we were alive. Well, I am. But was I soon enough to save Yuan?

My question was answered by the sound of footfalls, pounding ever-closer at running speed. I felt him crouch beside me and wrap an arm around my shoulder, attempting to keep me from falling. I couldn't help it; I collapsed heavily into this support, feeling as if I was near death, unable to catch my breath, dizzy and weakened beyond measure. A moment he hesitated, before wrapping his other arm around me as well, and resting his chin on my head.

"It's over... We won." I heard him murmur, though his voice was unsteady, and betrayed how bewildered he truly was. I perhaps could have figured out why, had my brain not been clouded by fatigue. I opened my mouth to speak, but found my mind so clouded that I'd forgotten how. It took a few moments, but I sorted out what words I wished to use, and forced my mouth and tongue to form them.

"You... are unharmed?"

My words were somewhat slurred, though intelligible enough for him to understand.

"Yeah, thanks to you..." He paused, then laughed dryly. "Do you have a death wish or something? That'd be the third time you've nearly killed yourself saving me."

I paused, sorting out his words in my head. I knew the answer to his question, however much I tried to deny it when my thinking was clear. I just didn't know how to voice it, and I had an acute feeling that for some reason, it would be the wrong thing to say.

"You can't die..." I murmured. He snorted slightly in dry amusement.

"And what does my life mean to _you_, the Mighty Kratos?"

"If you die... I will be alone again." I slowly replied, and I felt him tense. For nearly a minute we sat there in silence, before he slowly relaxed.

"I won't die." He softly assured me, but obviously found the situation awkward, because he laughed slightly again. "You don't seem about to let me anytime soon anyways."

"No." I agreed, having recovered enough to grin slightly.

That's another thing. Before Yuan, I never smiled, let alone grinned. I guess he just has that effect on a person. If you look at him when he's the Renegade Leader, rough and cold, you'd never guess he could smile, laugh, joke. But when you're his only ally on a hellhole island, that strong façade is abandoned.

It's strange… The last time I felt like this was before Martel died. When Yuan and I were the closest of friends. Yes, as much as he wanted to kill me when we came to this goddessforsaken island, we were once friends. It was always me and Yuan off on our dangerous journey, with his significant other, Martel, and Martel's little brother, Mithos. Mithos was determined to split Yuan and Martel up, to purge his group of the 'worthless human' and the one who took his sister from him. It's funny how alliances switched when Martel was killed. Mithos declared me his closest ally, which I later found meant 'official thug', and Yuan his third-in-command. All his hatred vanished when we followed him on his quest.

I don't know when he started hating me, just as I don't know when that hatred turned to friendship. All I know is, we're friends now, and... For some strange reason, I dreaded leaving this island even more than staying on it. When he was no longer forced to accompany me, would he remain? That's what I wondered. And I would continue to wonder 'till that day comes.

"How did you do it?" Came his voice, interrupting my thoughts.

"Do what?" I replied distractedly.

"You used Judgment." He replied, and the vision of the blinding angelic attack flashed through my mind once more.

With what remained of my strength, I lifted my wounded hand, resting it palm-up on his arm. The blood still flowed freely.

"Aionis." I explained, and I heard a faint 'ohh' of realization.

"Kratos, that could have killed you!" He suddenly objected, and my eyes widened. "Aionis in its raw form, when not channeled through a Cruxis Crystal, is dangerous. It's so powerful that an Exsphere is too weak to channel it. Very few can use it successfully, and fewer still can survive such usage."

"But since I can...?" I questioned, and I felt him shake his head.

"Too risky. What if you screw up, lose focus, falter... Kratos, what if you _die_? I... I don't want to be alone either..." His last sentence was whispered. After a moment he seemed to realize what he'd said, because he cleared his throat slightly in an uncomfortable fashion. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to kill Big Scaly's brothers on my own, now would I?"

"Of course not." I agreed, forcing myself to believe that was the only value my life held to the Renegade, for it would complicate things beyond belief if it was anything more. There was another pause, this one far less awkward than the last.

"Can you stand?" He asked, and I hesitated a moment, before my pride and dignity forced me to nod. And now that I'd nodded, I had to stand, even if it killed me. Damned pride and dignity.

I felt his arms slowly withdraw from where they were, and knew fully well how thoroughly I could have tormented him about it, but for once I felt no such urges. I felt him slowly rise and, after a moment, I rose to join him, my legs unsteady. A whole new wave of dizziness washed over me, and I swayed slightly despite myself. Yuan took this as his cue to grab my upper arm to make sure I didn't collapse again. My pride and dignity told me to jerk my arm away, to stand on my own two legs without aid, but the chances of that endeavor proving successful were next to none, so I grudgingly accepted his aid. When my dizziness cleared, I met his gaze with my own, and he released his grip on my arm, though somewhat warily.

I felt my limbs move of their own accord, taking me to the corpse of the dragon. Even in death, its ferocity and foreboding presence were enough to cause me to hesitate before approaching it. After a moment, I swallowed my hesitations and approached, crouching before the jewel at its chest. Yuan came and crouched beside me, his eyes upon the blood-red gem.

"I suppose this is what kept them inside the building before we came and freed them?" He mused, and I nodded.

"The ceiling must have been a shock-field, reacting when the jewel comes too close. That's the only way they could have kept three massive dragons contained."

"Indeed," he replied, and we fell into silence a moment after.

I hesitated before asking this question, unsure of how Yuan would react. "How did _you_ do it?"

He gave me the look that questioned my sanity.

"Do what?"

"Your wings, they came back... But they disappeared again afterward." I explained, his eyes widening more with each word.

"When!" He demanded, obviously unaware of such appearances.

"Once when you were falling toward me, and once when you were fighting the dragon." I recalled, and Yuan seemed equal parts confused and surprised.

"I don't know, I never noticed it, I was too busy saving your sorry ass to pay attention, or at least trying to."

"Hmm... Curious..." I mused, smirking slightly.

"Curious? What's curious? You're starting to sound like that half-elf chick that traveled with your son, now tell me before I reopen your bellybutton."

As threatening as he intended that, I couldn't help it. I laughed. And soon, he joined in too. So we sat their laughing for a good while. Any who saw us would have been sure we were insane. But nobody was there to see us, so it's a win-win situation either way.

Suddenly, his laughing stopped short. His eyes were fixed on the crimson jewel.

"Yuan?" I prompted.

"The jewel, Kratos, it's... _circular_." He replied. I raised an eyebrow.

"_Very_ _good_, Yuan, you sure know your shapes." I smirked, and he sighed in exasperation.

"No, It's circular, one of the holes was circular, it might fit in the hole!" He explained, and my eyes widened.

"Come to think of it... You're right." I agreed, reaching out to touch the jewel. I hesitated before it a moment, due to some irrational notion that it may burn or shock or otherwise harm me, but eventually my fingers locked around the blood-red stone. To my surprise, it came free with painless ease. My hand dropped slightly with the added weight before I brought it back toward us, examining both sides. It seemed to have been connected to the beast with the dragon's own mana, and now that it was dead, the jewel came free. No trace of adhesives remained on the flat face.

"So we've got our first key thingy, though we had to kick the dragon's ass to do it. Are the other two on the other two dragons?" He asked.

"No... Tell me if this sounds as stupid as I think it's going to sound, but-"

"It's stupid." He interrupted. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and he shrugged. "You offered to let me call you stupid, I decided to take that opportunity. Continue."

"Um, okay... I think that the three objects must be obtained by passing three impassable tests." I explain.

"Like-...?" He prompted, and I shrugged.

"If I hadn't used the Aionis, it would have been nearly impossible to beat the dragon. So it was an impassible test of our strength. There must be one about our mental strength-"

"You'll fail _that_ one for _sure_..." He interrupted, but I ignored him.

"-like a puzzle or a riddle or something we have to solve, and the last one... I'm not sure. Maybe it's both put together." I finished, and he smirked.

"What, you mean we have to say our ABC's _while_ fighting a dragon?"

"Shut up." I replied, and he was silent. "Now all we have to do is decide what to do with this dragon. We can't just leave it here, or the others will find it and get extra pissed off because we killed their comrade."

Yuan looked to the dragon, and I could almost _see_ the gears turning in his head.

"... I wonder how dragon tastes..."

* * *

((**Spiritua: **SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I was grounded for a while.  
By the way Spatha looks like this: (Just in case it doesn't let me post a link, here it is again but with spaces: http/ img .photobucket .com /albums /v641 /ArissaMay /My20Life /spatha .jpg : take out all the spaces)  
**Meowzy:** Darnit! Another awesome chapter by Spiritua! How am I supposed to compete with that?)) 


	12. The Heimlich

((A/N: **Meowzy: **Time for another chapter by me! Yay! It took awfully long and I apologize for that. Thanks for all the support so far and enjoy this next chappie!))

* * *

Chapter Twelve (Yuan's PoV)  
The Heimlich.

That same night, Kratos and I were sitting next to a campfire, happily devouring what was left of good old 'Big Scaly'. Though dragon's meat was incredibly tough, it didn't really taste all that bad. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it reminded me of chicken.

I looked up, watching Kratos rip some meat from a bone with his teeth. He certainly seemed to have recovered from the battle. Unless he was faking it again. He was so intent on hiding his pain from me… Not that it was ever any different.

"What?"

I blinked, noticing Kratos was staring back at me. I'd probably spaced out for a moment or something.

"I was thinking-" I began.

"That's never good." Kratos interrupted me with a snort.

Yup, some things never change.

"We could use Big Scaly's skin to make clothes." I continued, ignoring his last comment.

"Clothes?" he repeated blankly.

"In case you hadn't noticed, captain, we're both still shirtless." I said, pointing to his chest with the bone I was holding.

"Oh, right." He glanced down with a slightly bemused expression. This made me realize that he hadn't fully regained his senses after all.

What was he thinking anyway? Using something as dangerous as Aionis for my sake. If he died trying to save me, I'd never forgive myself. At least _he_ has a son to go back to. A family. I didn't have anyone or anything left.

I raised the meat to my mouth again, taking an irritated bite. So unfair.

"Yeah, I guess shirts might not be such a bad idea." Kratos shrugged, not noticing my sudden burst of annoyance.

"All my ideas are good." I grunted.

Kratos started coughing loudly, causing me to look up with a glare. At first, I thought he was mocking me. I dropped that assumption, however, when I saw him raise a hand to his mouth, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Are you okay?" I demanded immediately.

"I'm fine." He managed to splutter out in between coughs.

I sighed, crawling towards him and staring at his face. His complexion was turning a nasty shade of blue. That confirmed my suspicions that he was choking. Big Scaly was getting his revenge from beyond the grave. Good thing I knew the Heimlich.

I quickly moved behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest, getting to my feet and pulling him along. He started to struggle like mad, still coughing.

"Stop squirming." I shouted, increasing my grip.

Kratos managed some sort of strange squeaking sound, slumping forward in my arms. Clenching my fists, I pulled him even closer to increase the pressure on his midriff. Finally, I saw a chunk of meat land about five feet away.

A feeling of relief rushed over me as I heard Kratos gasping for breath. Though it seemed like he was still having trouble.

"Let go!" he wheezed.

"Oh, whoops." I quickly released him, causing him to fall to the ground. "What happened?"

"You were squeezing the air from my lungs." Kratos replied hoarsely, running a shaking hand across his chest. He shifted to sit up straight.

"Before that." I said, rolling my eyes as I sat down next to him.

"Your comment made me laugh so hard I choked on my food." The human shrugged for a moment.

I grumbled something incoherent, turning away from him with crossed arms. He was mocking me after all. The _almighty_ Captain Obvious found the thought of my ideas being good _so_ laughable, he managed to choke on a piece of dragon butt. A dragon's behind, incidentally, was the most tender bit of meat.

"Yuan?"

"What?" I turned to glare at him again.

"Thanks for saving me." Kratos smiled faintly, which instantly caused my scowl to melt. Okay, so maybe he wasn't _that_ bad.

* * *

The next day Kratos and I were occupied with trying to turn Big Scaly's hide into a piece of clothing. Easier said than done. Dragon skin was even tougher than the meat and almost impossible to fold. Six hours and many failed attempts later, the thing that came out didn't even look remotely like a shirt. I cursed fluently as I'd been doing all day, tossing it aside and laying down to get some rest. 

The sun was once again burning at its fullest and a soft wind rustled through the trees. No mysterious blizzards in sight. The weather sure seemed to enjoy changing rapidly. Now that our Cruxis crystals were non-functional, we could feel the full impact of it.

My eyelids drooped for a second, though they quickly snapped open at the sound of footsteps. Kratos was standing in front of me, holding up what appeared to be a near perfect dragon skin shirt.

"I finished one." He proclaimed proudly.

I quickly picked my jaw up from where it had dropped to the ground, trying to hide how impressed I truly was. "I can see that."

"How's yours coming along?" he asked, his gaze straying over to the pile of failures I managed to produce.

"Oh, eh… I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet." I said with a strained chuckle.

"I can see that." Kratos said in a wonderful mimic of my own voice, causing me to scowl.

Darn Kratos, thinks he's so smart and wonderful. One day, I really should teach him a lesson.

"Here." He said, tossing the shirt over to me.

"Huh?" I held it up, staring at it.

"Take it. Now that I've gotten one finished, the second won't take so long. Besides, I think it's too small for me anyway."

Kratos turned and left again, leaving me to stare at the shirt. I wondered what could've prompted this sudden act of charity. Pity, perhaps? Kratos wasn't one to take pity on people. Maybe a reward for saving his life? Nah, he'd already saved my life plenty of times in return.

I decided to go with 'It's most convenient for him', since he claimed the shirt was too small for him. It accompanied a small form of mock, because with it he was implying that I was smaller than him. Which was true, but it hurt nonetheless.

* * *

A few more hours later, Kratos came to sit next to me once again. We were now both wearing new shirts. Though it was quite a relief to finally cover my chest again, I felt a strange twinge of disappointment as I noticed Kratos had to do the same. 

"Much better." The human spoke, closing his eyes contently.

"Yeah." I agreed softly.

"Oh, here." He turned to me again and held out a long, thin piece of cloth. "I had some skin left over so I thought I'd make you this."

Wondering what the heck I'd do with a piece of cloth, I unfolded it and held it up to the light. It was a cloak. A long, dragon skin cloak.

"It matches the shirt." Kratos said. For a moment I thought I saw a flicker of a smile dance on his lips.

"It does." I moved the cloak around my back, tying it securely around my neck. It fit perfectly. "You made it for me?"

"Well, I felt kind of bad because of what happened to your old cloak." He picked up a twig from the ground and twirled it around between his fingers.

My face darkened at the memory of what happened to my other cloak. Even after Kratos' wounds were healed and the blood was rinsed out of the fabric, the cloak itself was ruined forever.

"Hey," Kratos spoke suddenly, snapping me out of my musings once again. "Remember that door in the room with the machine?"

I thought back for a moment. There had indeed been a door left of the machine that we hadn't checked out. In our hurry to examine the strange device, we'd completely ignored it. But that didn't matter now.

"It probably wasn't there for decoration." Kratos continued.

"So? The walls have closed up, which means we can't reach it anymore." I spoke.

"Maybe there's another way into that room. Perhaps we can go and find it." The human said, making it sound almost like an order.

"You really think we're going to be so lucky?" I questioned, snorting slightly at the thought.

"You won't know until you try." Kratos got to his feet again, dusting himself off. Then he glanced at me with an impatient expression.

"Jeez, always a new adventure with you." I grumbled, standing up and stifling a yawn.

"Life doesn't just revolve around lounging about and waiting for something interesting to come your way." Kratos spoke wisely.

"Captain Obvious returns." I hissed, severely agitated by that last comment. Without giving the man a chance to say another word, I strode off in the direction of the mountains.


	13. The Dragon

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade:** I'm sorry this took so bloody long, XX I hate it when I can't get things done right away, so this has bugged me probably as much as it's bugged you. Heh. I've been in school though, and I have Jordan to please (my wonderful boyfriend) and I have homework and I'm in a picture-manipulating studio and have to complete orders, plus I've been working on Project HEAT's latest chapter because I owed that first, and I just now finished it's 11,000 word chapter (YAY SHEENA MUSE!), and I owe a chapter for my one-shot series and have a fic to start on my other account, and a hundred-chapter fic to plan on this one (that's gonna be one helluva fic, I can say that much already), and... lots to do. So... I sowwies. Forgive me?))

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Chapter Thirteen (Kratos's PoV)  
The Dragon

Though I didn't quite know what bit _Yuan_ in the butt, I could tell quite easily that he was in a very pissy mood. After he stormed off toward the mountains, I followed him, at a safe distance at first, then catching up and walking beside him. He didn't say much, and when he seemed to think it was too quiet he'd 'hmph' pointedly. By his fifth 'hmph', it started to amuse me. By his seventh, I couldn't help but smirk.

"What's so damn funny?" He demanded, glaring at me accusingly.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think I'd done something wrong, but I've learned by now that you could step on a leaf you didn't like and blame me for your irritation."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you came up with that just now, but it's probably taken your dim-witted brain this whole walk to come up with that shitty insult, now hasn't it?"

"No, actually, I wasted the first half wondering whether or not your walking style is your attempt to seem angry, or if you've got a stick rammed up your ass and are trying to alleviate the pain." I shot back, and he snorted derisively. Apparently, he couldn't think of any way to reply.

And so a silence ensued, this one much longer than the rest, in which he'd abandoned his indignant strut and resumed walking normally. He didn't have to, however. For I had truly not wasted any time pondering it, I had only vaguely noticed it up until I needed a comeback to silence him. It worked a bit too well, however, for he didn't say another word the rest of the way. And let me tell you, if a walk is long when you're in conversation with another, it's ten times that long when you're not. I'd much rather have been arguing with the bluenette the whole way than to have him walk along in a fuming silence, ready to bite my head off if I said anything further.

Eventually, however, we found ourselves at the base of the mountain. I halted, and so did he, but I still did not speak. My eyes scanned the sheer cliffs for any sign of abnormality.

"Do you see anything?" I inquired, for I know that two pairs of eyes are better than one, especially if the second pair belongs to a half-elf who can see twice as far as yourself. He seemed to weigh his options: Help me and get where we need to go but forfeit our silent battle, or stay angry and be disagreeable the whole time. Though the second would be easier, he managed to swallow his pride and scan the cliff as well.

"Over there," he said eventually, his eyes trained on an area far above us and to our right. I squinted, focusing my vision on that area alone, and saw a ledge protruding from the cliff face. It was narrow, but still quite obviously a ledge. I nodded, and we made our way to the cliff directly below it.

"My only question is-" I started, and he finished my sentence.

"How in the hell do we get there?"

Though we knew it would get us nowhere, we couldn't help but gaze blankly up at the ledge for a minute or three.

"Heh, hey Yuan, if I run you through with Spatha do you think you'd be stressed enough to pop out your wings and carry us up there?" I teased darkly, but he found no humor in the situation, instead giving me a look that clearly said that if I tried I'd be dead before I could finish drawing my sword. Though I doubt he could kill me so easily, if at all, I made no comment on it. He's a better ally than enemy anyways.

When I looked to him once more, he was no longer glaring mutinously. Now, his brow was furrowed and his cerulean eyes were going over the cliff before us. He lifted up a hand and brushed it across the stone, wiping away a bit of excess dirt and a few pebbles. The surface he uncovered was smoother, slightly worn.

"Hey Kratos, does this look a bit like a foothold to you?" He inquired, and I nodded. For the next few minutes, we ran our hands along the cliff face at various places, uncovering two more footholds. Or handholds, however you wish to look at them, for they worked as both. One was directly above first, the other was a few feet to the left.

"It seems we've found our route." I stated, and he nodded. "I assume you wish to go first? It was your discovery, after all."

He started to nod, but looked up at the cliff far above, and suddenly the half-elf seemed slightly unsteady on his feet. Returning his gaze to me, he shook his head.

"As much as I wish I could, the venture is rightfully yours. You go ahead and go first, Captain." He offered, his voice steady.

I snorted.

"Coward." I smirked, and he shrugged.

"I prefer the term 'biophile', thank you very much." He replied. Heh. Biophile, in case you don't know, translates loosely to one who is quite fond of life, though I doubt it's a real word.

"Call it what you will. Either way, if I weaken the footholds, you'll be the one whose weight collapses them." I shrugged, and before he could reply, I'd hoisted myself onto the first foothold and grasped the second one firmly. And so began the longest and most tiring climb of my life. It turned out that the farther up I climbed, the more footholds were available, and only a few assorted random ones were stable enough to hold my weight. Yuan shrieked in a feminine fashion a grand total of four and a half times, the half being when he realized it was a false alarm and ceased mid-shriek. When my hand finally grabbed hold of the ledge where our climb ended, I was near exhaustion.

I pulled myself up onto the ledge, sitting on my hands and knees a moment and breathing heavily. We made it.

Or so I thought.

Suddenly from behind me I heard a loud crumbling noise and a violent stream of curses. I hastily looked back over the ledge to find Yuan clinging to the final handhold with both hands, his feet scraping desperately for purchase on the wall. My eyes widened, and I dropped to my stomach, my hands flying down and latching onto his wrist. And, though I was fatigued to a point that would nearly kill most humans, I dragged the bluenette up onto the ledge as well, with a bit of help from him when he could finally reach the ledge for himself. When we were both safely on the ledge, I collapsed against the wall, my breathing laborious and my limbs shaking uncontrollably.

"What the hell happened?" I managed to demand between breaths. He shook his head helplessly.

"I dunno. One second, I was reaching for the ledge and the next second the footholds crumbled and I was hanging by one hand." He breathed, still in shock from his close shave with death.

"Do me a favor?"

"Yeah, Kratos?"

"Never scare me like that again."

We were silent a while, recuperating. Yuan was the first to rise, stepping over to look down the cliff at the ground, which was a dizzying distance down. He drew away, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"I _never_ want to do that again," he vowed, but I chuckled slightly.

"Wait 'till the climb down."

He paled at this, sitting on the stone once more as he waited for me to finish my recovery. Eventually, I could breathe normally again, but it took a little while after that for my limbs to stop shaking, and another while still before I could manage to stand. I believe Yuan's recuperation was quicker due to his half-elven blood, but I can't be certain. Maybe it was because he didn't have to drag someone his own weight up onto a cliff, not to mention hold himself up with one arm while the other cleared dirt off of and tested footholds. But he made no mention of my slow recovery, waiting patiently until I rose to my feet once more, before joining me in standing.

Up until then we'd been distracted by the dangers of our journey up the cliff, too much so to turn our attentions in the opposite direction, to cavelike place in which we sat. It was small, only a foot above our heads, and shadowed as well. Spiderwebs were abundant, though I didn't mind them much, for they were mostly in the corners and above our heads. The area gave the general appearance of somewhere that hadn't been disturbed for quite a while.

"There it is," Yuan observed, his eyes on the back of the cave. I looked closer, and was able to decipher a door-shaped abnormality on the back wall. He broke out in a grin and, despite my current somewhat tired state, I grinned slightly as well. And we stepped into the shadows toward the door.

I hesitated before opening it, looking to Yuan. He seemed anxious to find out what was on the other side, and deep inside, so was I. My gaze swept back to the door, and slowly, I pushed on it.

Nothing happened.

I heard him sigh, from which I drew the conclusion that Yuan had been holding his breath.

"It's locked." I offer, expecting another 'Captain Obvious' crack.

"Start licking, Kratos." He shoots back, and I chuckle slightly, recalling the insult to which he was referencing, in the dark room, before our problems truly started.

"No, Yuan, that'd be _your_ job. You're the sidekick, after all." I replied and he opened his mouth to make a comeback, but halted, an idea coming to him. Stepping up to the door, he planted a massive kick on its surface.

"Open the hell up!"

Nothing.

"It worked last time." Yuan laughed sheepishly, shrugging. I nodded, recalling the first time we'd come to a door that didn't open.

"But remember when you tried it on the machine? For a half-elf, you're quite slow to learn from your mistakes." I replied, and he snorted indignantly.

"I prefer to learn from my triumphs, like when my methods actually worked." He shot back, and I shrugged.

"Besides, even if it did work, you'd have to repeat the same process as before. I believe your exact words were:" I paused, proceeding to kick the door demonstratively, "Open the hell up, you goddamn door!"

The door slid open with a metallic groan of protest. The half-elf blinked a moment, before cuffing me hard upside the head.

"I hate you."

"You're welcome."

We stepped hesitantly into the room, looking about us cautiously and curiously. It was dark, all dark. Neither of us could see a thing. For a few seconds, at least. Then, four glowing red eyes came into view. Familiar glowing red eyes. I cursed in surprise, drawing Spatha and hearing Yuan draw Flamberge beside me. And as the area slowly lit into focus, the owner of the eyes came into view. A massive, red, two headed dragon with fangs of steel and claws of the same.

"If I have to kill one more fucking dragon, I'm gonna-"

But Yuan never finished his sentence, for the dragon raised its heads right then, fixing its eyes on myself and the half-elf.

"I'll go at its throat." Yuan hissed under his breath, but I shook my head. Something seemed different about this dragon. Something seemed off.

"You have come at last," came a gruff, semi-monotone voice.

Our eyes widened, and we looked about frantically.

"What the hell was that!?"

Yet I knew no reply to Yuan's question.

"I expected more intelligent beings, though I won't hold it against you."

That voice again.

I gazed up at the dragon's red eyes for a moment, and nudged Yuan with my elbow.

"Yuan, I think it's the dragon."

"Very good," it snorted sarcastically, confirming my suspicions.

"But how-?" Yuan started, unable to finish his question due to the massive variety of 'how' questions he could possibly ask.

"How do I speak, are you wondering? How do you know the others of my sort don't? Or didn't, in the case of the one you've slaughtered, for I sense its tracking jewel in your possession."

"I-..." I was unable to finish my sentence, for I didn't know what I wanted to say.

"Alright, I'll stop playing games, as it seems to confuse your simple minds, and you'll need them for the puzzle ahead."

Yuan would have taken offense at its words, had the dragon not been at least thrice his height.

"I am, in fact, a nonentity. While the others who appear to be of the same flesh and blood as I, dragons as you seem to call them, are living, breathing beings, my innards are metal, oil, and mana enchantments. I am here for a single purpose: To inform you of the task you must complete."

"You're a robot?" Yuan wasted no time in asserting his skepticism. "Then how the hell can you hold this conversation?"

"If you wish to label me a robot, than you may do so. I can speak intelligently due to the mana enchantment inside me. I understand and am able to speak and cohere all words that were known and understood by my creator."

"So if we were to speak of something this 'creator' of yours didn't know of, theoretically, you wouldn't be able to understand us?"

"Theoretically," it confirmed.

"Captain Obvious strikes again." Yuan stated, eyeing the dragon suspiciously. It froze, apparently scanning its memory for the words needed to understand the bluenette's statement, before blinking in confusion.

"Comprehension unsuccessful," it stated, and Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "If you're done playing your juvenile games, I have a task to inform you of." It continued, its voice slightly irritated. Artificial irritation. Heh.

"First, though, what's your name?" I requested, and Yuan chimed in as well.

"Yeah, and your master's name too."

"I have no name, for my master saw unfit to name a nonentity. And the name of my master was not programmed into my system. If you persist, however, I have been programmed to attack, so be warned."

We nodded, and it seemed satisfied.

"Alright," continued the dragon, "here is your task. It comes in three parts, but all three are puzzles you must solve. The first is a maze you must find your way through. However, you will go one at a time and your ears will be plugged so the other may not offer you help. The walls are transparent, so you must find your way through your sense of feel. The second task you must accomplish you may work together on. You must put a key in the keyhole of a door and turn it, on the other side of which is the third task."

"What's so hard in that?" Yuan interrupted.

"I was getting to that," snorted the dragon. "The challenge of the second task is that you will each have one foot chained to the ground ten feet away from the key, thus rendering you unable to reach it."

"Then how the hell do we put it in the keyhole!?" Demanded the half-elf. The dragon snorted in irritation.

"If you're half as smart as you seem to think you are, you'll find a way. Now quit interrupting, you're starting to anger me."

"What's the third task?" I prompted, my voice level and respectful. The dragon seemed satisfied, continuing.

"In the final room, there will be a table, and on it will be ten rings. Three are deadly, three result in torture, two are harmless, and two will signal your passage of the test. You must each wear one of the rings of passage, one on the left hand and one on the right, and you must join hands, bringing the rings together and unlocking the mana to release you from the room."

We were silent for a moment, pondering the tasks before us, and for a moment I thought Yuan had finally finished his long stream of objections. Dammit, why do I always have to jinx things?

"We have to _hold hands_?!" Yuan demanded incredulously. The dragon paused, but after a moment nodded.

"If you wish to reduce it to something as juvenile as that, then feel free. It is meant to form a mana bond between the two rings, but call it what you will."

"And you're okay with this!?" The half-elf turned on me, and I shrugged.

"If it has to be done." I confirmed, and he scrutinized me a moment.

"Take us to the first task," he at last sighed in defeat, and the dragon nodded.

"Which of you will go first?" It requested, its eyes on me. This robotic dragon seems to have designated me as the logical one. But it was Yuan who spoke.

"I will."

I glanced at him suspiciously, wondering what spurred his sudden bout of courage. He met my gaze unflinchingly, and suddenly I understood. He had to prove himself and this was the only way he figured he could do it. After a moment, I nodded.

"Luck to you."

"You as well," he replied and he turned to the dragon. Within seconds, he'd disappeared, to wherever this invisible maze began.

"Don't die, Yuan. Whatever you do, don't die."

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((**Spiritua:** Mwahahaha. Read and Review, ladies and gents!)) 


	14. The Maze

((A/N: **Meowzy:** Well, that was fairly quick, right? I had fun writing this chapter, mostly because of inside joke foreshadowing crap. Neheheheh... Thanks for all the reviews, and remember the disclaimer from the first chapter! We don't own squat!))

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Chapter Fourteen (Yuan's PoV)  
The Maze.

"Ow!"

Another wall, another chance to bump face-first into it. Seriously, mazes with invisible walls only _sound_ easy. This place was true hell. Using your hands to feel for walls isn't so easy when spears suddenly appear out of nowhere and you have to run for your life.

This place was more freaky than anything you'd expect from a maze. Even though the walls were invisible, it seemed to go on for ever, finally leading into darkness from all sides. I was right in the middle of nowhere. Probably in some sort of shifted dimension. Or perhaps it was all an illusionary trick. But that didn't explain why I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The only landmark in sight was a large orb of light, seemingly floating above the ground far in the distance.

Not only did this place _look_ freaky, it _felt_ freaky too. I could sense the presence of creatures lurking just out of sight, even though everything except the darkness far away was visible. Perhaps… Perhaps the monsters were invisible, just like the walls.

Normally, I'd rely on my sense of hearing, but now… I couldn't. My ears had been plugged by a mysterious force, causing a silence to press on my eardrums. I didn't really get what the point of that was anyway. The dragon claimed it was so that Kratos could not provide me with assistance. Why bother, when Kratos was forced to stay behind and wait for me to complete the maze first anyway?

A sudden flash caught my eye and I clumsily hopped aside just in time to avoid getting skewered by a large spear. Two more followed, and before I knew it I was running for my life again. Bad idea.

"Ack!"

I soon found myself sitting on my knees, clutching my nose and hissing profanities through my teeth. I'd crashed face-first into yet another invisible wall.

"I hate this place." I muttered, pushing myself to my feet. Placing a hand against the wall, I decided to turn left and continue my trek.

How long had it been since I entered this place? I wasn't even sure where the heck I was supposed to be going. I saw no door, or anything else that could function as an exit. Maybe there was no exit, forcing me to wander this invisible hell forever.

"Jeez!" I hastily retracted my hand as a set of short, stubby spikes appeared on the wall. This place was just filled with booby-traps.

I walked a few more feet until the spikes halted and placed my hand against the wall again. However, after about a minute the surface suddenly disappeared around a corner. I could either follow the corner, or see if I could walk straight ahead. I decided to go for the latter. After all, my senses told me to go right and follow the corner. Therefore, I had to ignore those senses and keep walking. It was a pretty insulting method of finding my way, but it seemed to work.

Extending my hands in front of me, I blindly walked forward, encountering no barriers. It seemed like I could continue onwards. But as I did, something seemed… off. There was a strange sense of foreboding.

I glanced around nervously, even though I knew it was completely in vain. Taking a small step forward, I bumped into something solid. However, this obstruction was quite unlike the walls I encountered. It felt like raw, tough hide, scratching my skin as I moved my hand across it. Just then, the smell of sulfur reached my nose and I realized I was doomed.

A dragon. Another frickin' dragon! And it was invisible too! Just my luck.

Freezing on the spot, I waited to be burnt into a crisp. A long silence followed, but nothing happened. Deciding to stretch my luck, I reached out to touch the dragon again. Another long silence.

I breathed a sigh of relief, pulling my hand back. The beast was asleep. What I'd touched was most likely the creature's behind. So, all I had to do was get past it and I'd be home free.

Sidestepping to the right, I tried to locate the nearest wall. As soon as I found it, I turned to place my back against the smooth surface and started to walk sideways. I was more than content to follow the saying of 'Never wake a sleeping dragon', therefore I tried to breathe as softly as possible, pressing closely against the wall. Soon, I felt gusts of wind blowing into my face as the smell of sulfur increased significantly. I was passing its head.

Not long after, the gusts of wind disappeared. Still, I continued to press close to the wall as I kept stepping. Better safe than sorry. If there was another head and I celebrated too early, I was toast. Luckily, there seemed to be only one head.

Pushing myself away from the wall, I decided to continue walking normally. However, that plan was thwarted when I tripped over something small and furry. I only just managed to muffle a scream, but couldn't avoid the loud thud as I hit the ground face-first. It didn't seem to wake the dragon, though.

'What the hell was that?' I thought, sitting up and rubbing my forehead. Just then, I felt four small claws swiftly clamber up my other arm and froze in shock. A little, invisible creature was climbing onto my shoulder.

"Shoo." I hissed through my teeth, trying not to wake the dragon behind me.

The creature paused for a moment, before continuing on its way. It was nearing my neck now, its little nails digging into my skin.

"Stop it." I whimpered, shaking my arm in the hopes of getting the little monster off. It didn't help one bit, as the furry menace was already sitting on top of my left shoulder, a little tail brushing past my back.

Thinking it would be best to ignore the creature, I got to my feet to continue my trek through the maze. It didn't take too kindly to that, as it started to run its sharp little claws past my neck in an aggravated way.

"Go away, stupid mutt." I growled, finally reaching out to grab the animal with my other hand, pulling it off my shoulder. It started to squirm desperately, its claws scratching my fingers and wrist.

Just then, it all clicked. This was a fat, annoying rodent that was trying to make my life a living hell. But… that couldn't be!

"I _ate_ you!" I practically shouted, forgetting all about the dragon as I shook the little monster in my hand vigorously.

Retaliating immediately, the now invisible rodent sank its fangs into my hand, causing me to let go with an angry howl of pain. The next second, I was scanning the ground frantically. Of course, the creature was nowhere to be found. All I could see were drops of my own blood, coloring the ground red. Still, I was sure that if my ears weren't plugged I could hear the monster tittering evilly.

"I'll have my revenge, you hear me? I'll get you for this!" I roared, clutching my bleeding hand.

The ground suddenly shook heavily, almost knocking me off my feet. A sharp gust of wind blew past me, accompanied by a sulfuric smell. The dragon had awoken at last.

"Dammit." Was all I said.

The next second, I was blindly running for my life as I felt the ground beneath me shudder. I was being chased through an invisible maze by an invisible dragon and I didn't have a clue where the damn exit was. Yeah, this island was just full of fun and games, wasn't it?

Crashing into another wall, I hastily rounded a corner and saw it. Right in front of me. The orb of light that had been standing out as a beacon all this time. It seemed like it was right in this hallway, as it shone even brighter than before. Perhaps that was my ticket out of here. Then again, they always said to never follow the light when you were about to die.

The ground shook heavily and another gust of sulfuric breath came at me from the side. The dragon was catching up.

"I'll take my chances with heaven." I said swiftly, running forward.

There was a loud crashing sound as the dragon apparently rounded the corner and smashed the walls while doing it. I squeaked in fear and increased my speed, but the dragon wasn't about to let me escape. After a little bit of adverse wind, which was most likely an intake of breath, a burst of flames was sent shooting after me.

"I'm too young to die!"

I decided to lunge forward, my fingertips only a few inches away from the light when the fire caught up with me. There was an immediate increase of temperature, literally catching me in the air and blasting me forward. I experienced a bright flash and screamed in shock before I was overtaken by darkness. The last thing I felt was landing on the cold floor as I lost consciousness.

* * *

"Ngh…" 

A strange cold feeling pressing against my cheek, I came to my senses again. It took a while for me to notice I was lying on the ground. It took even longer for me to remember why I was lying on the ground. Maze… Rodent… Dragon… Wait…

My eyes snapped open, only to greet the same darkness I experienced when they were closed. Horribly confused, I managed to move my arms and push myself in a kneeling position, severing my face from the floor. I glanced around, but no light came to me.

Had I died after all? Did the afterlife consist of darkness? If it did, how come I could still feel the injuries I'd gotten in the maze? My hand that had been brutally attacked by the rodent, the scratch marks on my neck… I raised a hand to pinch my arm. The pain sure felt real enough.

If this wasn't death then… I'd made it. I'd gone through the exit of the maze. But how come I wasn't burnt to a crisp? My hand went from my arm to my back, where the fire had struck. No stinging pain, which meant no horrible burns. Something had protected me. … Of course!

I untied the cloak that was hanging around my shoulders, taking it into my hands and feeling the fabric. It was made from dragon hide. Dragon hide armor and clothing provided the best protection against fire. This cloak had saved my life. Surely, my other cloak would not have survived such a blast, but this one… This one was a gift from Kratos. Indirectly, the human had saved my life. Again.

"Bless you, Captain Obvious." I murmured, hugging the cloak for a moment. Then, I wondered what Kratos would think if he saw me doing that and quickly halted the action.

Fastening the cloak around my neck again, I cast another glance around. Sure, I'd made it out of the maze, but where was I now? Wasn't the exit supposed to lead to the second puzzle?

I got up and tried to walk forward, but got quite a nasty shock. There was a soft rattling of chains, as my right foot barely left the ground. Trying my left foot resulted in the same aggravation. When I reached down to feel my ankles, I noticed the problem. Shackles. Thick, metal shackles. One of them on each foot.

"Dammit! Gods dammit!" I screamed furiously, straightening up again. "You cheating bastards! I've had it! When I get out of here, you're dead! All of you! You got that!"

My shouts echoed off the walls I couldn't see, probably reaching no other ears than mine. It was all a trap. There probably was no second puzzle. Just this damn darkness. Now, Kratos was most likely going through the maze, not knowing that it would get him nowhere. Not knowing that he'd end up here with me, shackled to a dirty floor. If I could, I would warn him to turn back. But now, there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was sit down and wait.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** I wonder how Kratty is faring... Go Spiritua!)) 


	15. The Puzzles

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **The whole description of the task confused the bajeezus out of poor Meowzy, so I took on the task of writing all three. I don't mind though, really. It was fun. Anyways, here goes.))

* * *

Chapter Fifteen (Kratos's PoV)  
The Puzzles.

"-shitshitshitshitshitshitshit-"

No, I wasn't cussing to give me my jollies. At the moment, I was being pursued by a giant, rabid, spear-adorned boulder that seemed as fond of the concept of scattering my intestines in the dirt, then squishing them, as a boulder can get. And it didn't help that the walls were invisible. I mean, I was going on sheer luck that I wouldn't run headlong into a-

_THUD._

-a wall.

Pain exploded in my nose and face, as well as the rest of me, as I ran face-first into one of those goddamned walls. The force knocked the breath from my lungs, and I doubled over, my nose dripping blood at an alarming rate. But, though I couldn't hear the boulder behind me, due to some cursed ear-plugging trick of that dragon, I felt the vibrations of its continued chase, and I still wasn't too fond of dying. Throwing myself to the left, I hoped for a clear pathway and not another wall. And, to my great relief, I fell roughly to the ground down a side path. Just in time too, for the massive rock then collided with the wall I'd just peeled myself off of seconds before.

A miniature explosion followed, the boulder's protest to its pursuit being interrupted, and I felt a large chunk of rock strike me straight in the gut, making for even worse breathing. But I heaved a sigh of relief nonetheless, allowing myself to relax onto the ground, my head carefully turned to the side so the blood erupting from my apparently broken nose wouldn't go back down and drown me.

I lay there in some form of silence, trying to breathe deeply but only succeeding in summoning a rousing pain in my gut and chest.

I wondered how well Yuan fared. I hoped he got out alive... Though in my mind's eye I could just see Yuan in the same position, watching the oncoming boulder, first with an expression of terror akin to a child about to soil himself, and then slowly assuming a determined façade, drawing his sword to meet it...

I cringed, shaking my head despite the pain to rid my mind of the images before I witnessed the half-elf's death. Droplets of blood flew everywhere, splattering on the walls and my own dragon-hide shirt.

_Alright, now this is starting to bug me._

Pushing myself up, I placed my hand in the pool of blood from my nose, examining it carefully. Aionis, just as it was last time. I put two fingers to my brow, opening my mouth to call upon my healing arts. But I shut it again.

_Yuan. He told me not to use my blood for a catalyst again. Too risky, he said. But, now that I think about it, I never promised not to. And besides, Yuan would understand. I mean, he couldn't expect me to work with a broken nose, now could he?_

With my decision made, I pressed my fingers to my forehead with resolve, muttering the holy words of the healing art.

"_First Aid_."

I'm going to say right now what an interesting sensation it is to have mana flowing out of you and right back in at the same time. It's kind of like a whirlpool, heading down and back up through my arm and then down to my arm and down and back up through my arm, all the while healing my various bumps and bruises. I felt the bleeding from my nose cease, though not soon enough to keep it from dripping all down my front, and the pain from my collision faded to a dull ache. _Now to get rid of this obnoxious silence. Somehow._

I paused, unsure of how to go about doing that. _There is ONE way..._

Reaching deep inside me, I called forth my wings. They came surprisingly easy... At first. But when they were just about to appear, I felt a strange resistance, then a heavy shove pushing them back down when surprise interrupted my concentration. I fought harder, feeling my grasp on mana grow less and less stable, until finally, when I just about lost hold of it altogether, my wings flickered into existence with an explosion of sight, sound, and smell sensations akin to those I had before my Crystal was nullified. A second later, the wings and senses were lost, and everything was returned to normal... Including my hearing.

I could hear again.

Apparently, the explosion of angelic mana shattered whatever barrier was plugging my ears, because now sounds were all around me. And I was then acutely aware of just how many dangers there were, just lurking in wait.

But I knew I had to finish, to rejoin Yuan with the second task.

It had been maybe three hours since I'd entered the maze, and I'd already grown familiar with the test-step-test-step rhythm of my walking. The test being to gently step to make sure no wall was in my way, of course. So when I rose to my feet and resumed my quest to reach that mysterious light in the center, I lapsed into that form of walking without paying it any mind.

Ten or so minutes later, I was drawing close to the center, but every time I had my hopes up for a straight path to the light, I was disappointed. I had just run into one of said disappointing walls when I spotted blood on the dirt.

_Yuan!_

I made to hasten to the spot, to look more closely, but I was suddenly aware of a heavy, rasping breath and a hot, slightly rancid stench. I froze.

A dragon.

Fear raced through my veins like fire, but I remained rooted to the spot, making sense of the situation. The dragon seemed so _close,_ yet there was nowhere for it to be hidden. That meant the dragon must have been invisible too. Just what I needed, an invisible dragon. Fighting a visible one, even with Yuan, was hard enough. How could I take on an invisible one by myself?

I couldn't, that I decided then and there, and I wouldn't try. Besides, the breathing was relaxed and even. The dragon was sleeping, and deeply by the sound of it. Now all I had to do was sneak on past it, and then-

My eyes returned to the blood on the ground.

Did the dragon _eat_ Yuan!?

No, of course it didn't; Yuan couldn't be dead. I refused to believe it. So many times I'd tried to off him, a measly —okay, not so measly— dragon couldn't even begin to do the job. That's not saying the dragon didn't eat him, however. Yuan could be alive, but inside the dragon's stomach. A dragon's digestive fluids calm down while it's asleep, so as not to awaken it. If the half-elf wrapped himself in his nearly-invincible dragon-hide cape, he could theoretically be fairly well-off.

I drew my sword, stepping cautiously toward the rasping and the stench and extending it slowly, until it came in contact with something large and invisible. The dragon. Its side, judging by the distance away its head seemed to be.

Against my better judgment, I prodded the beast in the side.

"Yuan? You in there?" I softly called, but to what purpose I wasn't entirely sure. Yuan may not have even been eaten. He may have escaped. Better safe than sorry though, I suppose.

Wait a second. Its ribs would shield its side. If I wanted Yuan to be able to see my prodding, I'd have to go lower, prod at its stomach a bit. If that didn't work, and he really _was_ in there, he was on his own.

I did so, slowly and carefully... But all doesn't go as planned.

I felt a sharp disturbance in the air, and a snort of protest. A back leg struck me in its haste to rise and meet its awakener face to face.

_Wait. If that was it's back leg, that means I must have poked it in the-... _

I paled, vowing that if I made it out alive, Yuan would never know of my mistake. Even by _his_ standards, poking a sleeping dragon in the privates with the world's sharpest sword was idiocy unmatched.

As much as I'd wanted to stay for tea, I had more pressing matters, such as, oh, I dunno, _getting out alive with all my extremities intact_. Without waiting to see if it noticed me, though I was sure it would have by then, I leapt past it and raced down the path. The ground itself rumbled behind me as the beast put up chase, but I could sense it wasn't gaining any ground on me, as it otherwise would have.

_The walls are too close together,_ I realized. It couldn't keep up its top-speed rocking gait without scraping uncomfortably against the invisible, yet still painful, walls. With this in mind, I put on a burst of speed, whipping around every corner I found so as to slow up the dragon even more.

I was no longer concerned with finding the orb of light, for I was too distracted by keeping away from the dragon, so it came as a shock when said glowing object was just in front of me. With only a moment's hesitation and a single backward glance, I dove in to touch the light.

The maze disappeared, as did all else. I was immediately disoriented, even with my angelic training. There was no more gravity, no more up and down. I wasn't sure if I was spinning or hovering still, but I did know that I was completely and utterly isolated. And then my mind too faded into blackness.

* * *

I don't know how long I was lost in the darkness, but all of a sudden I was aware of up and down once again. I was aware of sounds, the shuffling of some sort of medium-sized being, and I was aware of scents... The oh so familiar scent of Yuan greeted my nostrils, and I knew I'd made it. 

With this realization, I fell to my knees, weak from the task I'd just completed. I felt the other being, presumably Yuan, tense beside me, becoming conscious of my presence. But I didn't say anything, merely caught my breath and waited for the dizziness to fade.

Everything was dark; so dark, it was impossible to see anything. But maybe it was better that way. Yuan couldn't see the blood splattered all up and down my face and clothes. He couldn't worry. He couldn't know that I'd gone against his word, used Aionis despite the risks.

"Kratos?" He tentatively called, seeming untrusting of this strange new darkness. I wondered how long he'd been waiting. I grunted in reply, rising slowly to my feet.

"Yuan," I confirmed his question, and the relief was evident in his words to follow.

"Thank the goddess, you took so long, I thought you might have-"

But then he stopped. I couldn't help but smirk.

"I see you've quit pretending you want me dead." I observed, and he made a 'feh'-like noise in response.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Kratos Aurion, or I'll wipe it off myself," the half-elf growled, confirming my suspicions and only proving to widen it. I snorted in amusement, but ceased my teasing.

"Very well then." I paused, straining my eyes in the darkness. "Any clue where we are?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but I amended myself before he could.

"_Besides_ somewhere dark?"

The half-elf closed his mouth again, apparently searching for a different response.

"Nope, nada."

I strained my eyes once again, but to no avail.

"Lets find the walls. Maybe we have to search for the door again, like last time," I decided, and I could hear him snicker under his breath. "What, do you have a _better_ plan?"

"No, no, feel free to ignore me," he dismissed it innocently, but I knew better than to trust his innocence. "Go right ahead, walk over there and find the wall."

I hesitated, but knew he wouldn't have me do anything too dangerous, so I lifted my foot to walk over to do just that. But a metallic rustle broke the silence, and something stopped my foot mid-air, almost tripping me. Shackles.

I could almost _feel_ his contempt.

"Alright, you got me. Now come off it, and help me find a way out of here."

"Yeah, sure, we'll bust right through our thick metal chains with our godly seraph strength. Oh, wait, we _can't_ now can we, because _you_ got us stuck on this goddamned island with no goddamned powers and a horde of rodents out to tear me limb for limb, and oh, the dragons, can't forget about the dragons, and-"

"I get the point," I cut him off icily, my warning tone silencing him better than words ever could. I heard him shuffle awkwardly.

"Sorry, got a bit carried away..." He mumbled, and I snorted in dry amusement.

"I noticed."

He was about to reply, but closed his mouth.

Suddenly, the darkness wasn't so dark. Or was that just a figment of my imagination, of wishful thinking? No, it couldn't be. Yuan had noticed it too, that's what kept him silent. And it was true. Slowly, gradually, the area grew lighter. My eyes were searching my surroundings, hungry for the knowledge of our location. Yuan's, however, were far less hungry.

Shocked is a more appropriate word, and very much so. His eyes were fixed on my bloody self, and wide with surprise.

"Kratos, what in the name of hell-"

"Save it, Yuan, I'm fine."

"But you look-..." He paused, searching for the word, eventually offering, "Red."

"Watch out, you may just usurp my status as Captain Obvious." I teased.

"No, I'm serious."

"So am I, I'm fine. Trust me. Broken nose, that's all. Those goddamn walls..." I trailed off, and he nodded in understanding, subtly rubbing his own nose protectively.

It was then that our gazes returned to our surroundings. We were in a large, earthy room, directly across from a standard-sized door with a superfluously large keyhole. On a table a fourth of the way there sat an equally large key.

"Is it just me, or did this task seem a lot easier before we actually _got_ to it?" Yuan questioned semi-rhetorically, and I nodded in agreement. Get the key in the hole. It didn't seem so hard, when the dragon described it. But now that we're faced with it, it seems impossible.

"Well, I'm assuming _kicking it_ is out of the question." I stated dryly, and the bluenette nodded distractedly, his gaze focused on the key and the keyhole. I could almost see the gears turning in his head. Only an expression, mind you, for the human skull contains brains, not cogs and gears, and if one were to witness a brain turning as they say the 'gears' in ones head do, it would result in a violent aneurism and death. But that's unimportant. What _was_ important was finishing the task so we weren't stuck there forever.

"Well, at least things are as bad as they'll get," I stated resignedly, returning my focus to the problem at hand.

That right there was my second mistake today. If one were to study what's occurred since myself and my comrade had gotten ourselves stuck on that unnamed island of peril, one would have seen this coming the moment those words left my mouth.

If only I would have known as well.

For Yuan and myself were stuck between a rock and a hard place. And, with a rumble, both started to close in.

The half-elf shot a glance to each of the walls, and formed a string of curses so long and so fluidly arranged that it was almost artistic.

"You effing did it _again_!?" He accused, forfeiting the puzzle and jerking desperately and violently at his shackles, his voice half squeaky with hysterics.

"Yuan, calm yourself!" I roared, and he faltered, looking up to me. "The walls aren't moving very quickly. I say we have about a minute until things get treacherous. Think, Yuan, think! Now is not the time to panic!"

Nodding, the half-elf rose to his feet, though I couldn't help but notice that in his efforts to subdue his panic, he was shaking slightly. But that was the least of our problems. The walls were halfway closed in by the time my idea came to me, and right on time, for Yuan looked about ready to disregard my reassurance and panic once more.

"Pass me your sword," I commanded, my voice surprisingly level. He looked at me suspiciously, apparently attempting to figure my motives, before sliding Flamberge out of its sheath and tossing it my way. I caught the sword blade-first, hissing in pain, and I saw Yuan flinch. But I didn't mind, it only made my job easier.

Grasping Flamberge by the hilt, I brought the blade to the tiny cut that catching it had caused, fluidly slicing my hand to widen the gash, which began to bleed immediately. I ran my bleeding palm up and down each side of the blade, ignoring the bluenette's dismay.

"Catch." I grunted, tossing it back. He caught it, eyeing the blood that covered it with a pained look in his eye. "Aionis," I explained, and realization came to his eyes.

"Kratos, it's too-"

"Save it, it's necessary."

And after a moment, he nodded.

"Your orders, Captain?"

"Could Angel Feathers lift the key?" I questioned thoughtfully, which seemed to take Yuan by surprise.

"Easy."

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll cast a combination of Stone Blast and Air Blade, so a blade of earth will carry the table and, in turn, the key over to right in front of the door. Just before the table hits the door and shatters, cast Angel Feathers to lift the key fluidly into the hole. And be careful, we only have one chance."

Yuan eyed the walls, knowing all too well how true my concluding sentence was.

"Ready?"

"Affirmative."

"_STONE BLADE!_" I roared, swinging Spatha down to hit the ground and sending a bladelike shockwave down toward the table. It came up under the table and, like a wave with a wave-rider, it carried the table and key over toward the door.

"_ANGEL FEATHERS!_" Yuan supplied, right on cue. The key soared smoothly up toward the door, and it seemed our plan would work. By now the walls were a mere fifteen feet apart, and things were, as I put it earlier, getting treacherous. But we were gonna make it.

Or so I thought.

The key slid into the hole, as planned... But the momentum wasn't great enough. It hovered precariously on the ledge, half in the keyhole, half leaning back over the floor. We froze, both of us, watching it in horror, as it leaned back out of the hole.

"NO!" I cried, throwing out my hand as if to catch it. But something unexpected occurred. From my hand shot an translucent and radiant cord of mana, traveling at breakneck speed toward the key. And just as the key and our hope for survival started to make its descent to the ground, the cord wrapped around the handle and shoved it roughly into the keyhole.

The shackles immediately fell away, but I stumbled to my knees, dangerously weak from the mana drain.

The walls were eight feet apart.

Yuan seemed to sense that I wasn't following in his mad dash to the door, and he slid to a stop, cursing. "Dammit, Kratos, don't give up now, not when we're so close!"

And the next thing I knew, I was being dragged to my feet, and making haste toward the door.

The walls were five feet apart.

Yuan fumbled with the key a moment, before growing frustrated and shoving the door roughly. It swung open, and we collapsed through.

The walls met with a resounding rumble.

We were both wide-eyed by now, as we sat, gazing at the massive chunks of stone that nearly caused our demise and catching our breath. I went to rise, but staggered and collapsed to one knee again.

"Dammit," I hissed in frustration, trying again. This time, when I felt my strength give out like the first time, I didn't hit the ground. Instead, I felt an arm around my back and to my other side, helping me remain upright. I looked to Yuan in surprise at his unusual show of mercy.

"Don't bother to thank me; you already thanked me enough, y'know, by almost getting us killed back there."

I made a short, wry laugh, but didn't say anything further as he helped me into the next room. There was a single table, and on it sat ten evenly-spaced rings. That was all. No guide on which was safe, no paper with a riddle on how to solve the puzzle, not even a little clue etched into the table. We were on our own.

"Three are deadly, three result in torture, two are harmless, and two signal the passing of the test," I repeated.

"Got anything figured out?" His voice was hopeful. I shook my head helplessly. The half-elf seemed crestfallen for a moment, before his face adopted a resolute look. He set his jaw in determination. "Then leave it to me. You rest."

He pulled all the rings off the table and arranged them carefully in the same exact order, but on the dirt floor where the light was brightest. And for what seemed like an eternity, he sat and examined the rings, not once touching any of them. I did as he said, resting my body for nearly three fourths of an hour, before sitting up and scooting toward the row opposite him.

"Got anything figured out?" This time it was my turn to ask, and his turn to shake his head helplessly.

"I've got a few hunches, but nothing with good-solid evidence," he admitted, but I made no response, my eyes shifting down to the rings. My first thought was, _this is impossible_. They all looked identical. But then I looked closer.

"Hey Yuan, you notice these scratches? A ring sitting untouched in an empty room wouldn't have scratches, now would it?" I pondered, and Yuan lit up.

"You're right! Lemme see this one," he demanded excitedly, grabbing the one on the end and examining it closely. After a moment, he looked disappointed. "Nope, nothing but a bunch of little scratches."

"Wait, give it to me," I offered, and he handed it to me. I examined the scratches closely. There was an almost artistic look to it. "These scratches were no accident. It almost looks familiar, like-" I cut off, my eyes widening in alarm. "Yuan, this is in the Angelic language!"

In the blink of an eye, he'd snatched it back, examining the scores closer.

"By goddess, it is!" He exclaimed in wonder, grinning wildly. I picked up another, and sure enough, there was a similar scratch in the same exact place. Recalling my knowledge of the Lingua'la'Celes, the Language of the Angels, I translated the rough lines and curves.

"Skull. This one's deadly." I state, putting it aside.

"This one too. Skull as well." The ring he held was placed beside my own. He picked up another one, examining it slowly. His face lit up.

"Aha! Love! Now we just gotta find another one and we'll pass!" He cried triumphantly, sliding it on his finger.

"Yuan, wait!" I demanded in alarm, but it was too late.

With an unearthly wail of indescribable pain, Yuan collapsed back onto the ground, writhing about in agony. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he screamed again, a scream that seemed to be made of the essence of torture itself.

"Dammit, Yuan! Take it off!" I roared, though I was sure he wouldn't hear me. I threw myself onto the half-elf just as he wailed again, the suffering in his cry enough to send a chill down my spine. Roughly holding him steady with my knees on his chest, I fought for control of his thrashing arm, and once I gained a firm grasp on it, I jerked the ring roughly off his hand, sending it flying across the room.

His eyes flew open and he immediately stilled, breathing heavily as if awakening from a horrific nightmare. He was covered in sweat and shaking like a hypothermic, and we were both as out of breath as if we'd run a marathon in a minute, but at least he was fine. We stared at each other a minute or so, recovering from the shock.

"Kratos?" He began shakily once he could speak again.

"Yeah, Yuan?"

"I never wanna do that again."

"That makes two of us. I thought... I thought you were gonna die..."

I averted my gaze. We sat in silence a moment.

Heh. I guess love isn't the way out?"

"If we were dealing with a man who knew the joys of love, wouldn't he be off with his lover rather than plotting the death of the only true seraphim in Aselia?" I questioned logically.

"Yeah, it's probably some bitter, antisocial half-elf, just like the rest of the evil people are these days."

My eyes widened in surprise. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd make a crack against half-elves."

He shrugged. "Well it's true."

"True."

We sat for a few minutes in silence.

"Y'know, we still have to finish this to get out." I stated.

"I would if I could, but I kinda can't."

"And why the hell not?" I demanded, and he seemed amused.

"Kratos, you're kinda sitting on me."

"Ah." I hastily removed myself from atop the bluenette, and we both proceeded to dust ourselves off, before returning to our seated positions. He picked up another ring, hastily translating it.

"Trust. Kratos, this has gotta be it."

"Wait!" I commanded, before he brought it anywhere _near_ his finger. He glanced at me quizzically. "Think, Yuan, _think_. If we really _are_ dealing with a bitter antisocial half-elf, who's to say that trust won't kill you and death isn't the escape?"

"Maybe that's what he _wants_ us to think." Yuan murmured distrustfully.

"Well, we have one more word to read, and if that doesn't tell us anything, we'll try death." I picked up the ring with the fourth word on it, reading it closely. "Power."

We both knew right then that I held in my hand one of the two success-rings. I mean, what villain _doesn't_ want power? And if he's as smart as he seems, he'd know we'd pick those like love and trust to take us through.

"Find the other Power one, Yuan." But he was already looking for it as I spoke.

"Got it." He held up a ring with an inscription identical to the one I had. And we both slowly slipped the rings on opposite hands.

I let out a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding. But I had had good reason to be worried. What if we'd guessed wrong? But we didn't. Rising to our feet, Yuan and I looked to each other in triumph.

"Come on, Yuan. Time to get the hell out of here."

And without another word, we joined hands as the Dragon had instructed, and we were enveloped in a blinding light.

_We made it._

* * *

((**Spiritua: **Hehehe. I like this chappa-ter a lot. lol That's okay though, you don't have to.  
**Meowzy:** Wahhh! That was the best Kratos chapter so far! And twice as long as my last chapter! How am I supposed to compete with this?)) 


	16. The Hero

((A/N: **Meowzy:** Oh! Oh! My turn! This chapter is kinda short in comparison to Spiritua's chapter, as usual. I'm sorry... Feel free to slap me. Also, the E-mail alerts are down, so everyone be sure to keep an eye on your favourite stories yourself, okay?  
This chappie was kinda fun to write, but then again, it's always fun to write for this story. Yuan is such a... Such a dork!))

* * *

Chapter sixteen (Yuan's PoV)  
The Hero.

My heart still beating rapidly, I waited for the light to subside. Not an easy task, because at the same time a strange tingling feeling was spreading through my body. It was similar to the feeling of teleportation, but at the same time it was different. I'd felt it when the dragon sent me inside the maze too.

What kind of teleportation method was used on this island anyway? There were no devices in sight. Perhaps it was similar to angelic transportation. But then, the seraph itself would decide where to go, and when. This teleportation was controlled somehow, but by who?

Finally, the light started to fade. After blinking a few times, I found myself staring at some trees. We were standing in the forest. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping… It was as though nothing had happened. Yet, the remains of pain throbbing through my body proved that I _had_ just gone through severe torment.

I hung my head tiredly, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens…"

"I don't think the heavens had anything to do with it." Kratos pointed out simply.

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes. "No need to boast that you once again saved both our behinds."

"Ah… I didn't mean it like that." The man seemed slightly startled at my response.

"Sure…" I responded slowly, a large amount of sarcasm in my voice. "You were the one who used Aionis and found the proper rings, weren't you?"

There was no denying it. Kratos had saved my ass once again, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

"But _you_ saved _me_ when the walls were closing in." The man pointed out.

"That's what a sidekick is for." I replied with a bitter smile.

Yup, if this was a story, Kratos would be the superhero and I would be the sidekick. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I simply couldn't match up to the guy. He was better at just about anything. Though there was no way I'd ever accept the identity of Pervert Boy. I'd get a cool name like… Swallow Boy. Or Cloak Boy. Maybe even Handsome-Stunning-Almost-As-Good-As-Captain-Obvious-Boy.

"Hmm…" Kratos replied, staring down blankly.

I followed his gaze, noticing to my great shock that Kratos and I were still holding hands. Jumping slightly, I released the grip as quick as I could. A small silence followed.

"I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you, Pervert Boy?" he asked, looking up at me with a grin.

"No way! Why would I enjoy holding hands with a jerk like you? It's disgusting!" I said loudly, looking away.

Truth was, I kinda did enjoy the feeling of Kratos' hand, gripping my own. Now that I'd let go, my hand felt strangely cold and empty. Maybe the extreme torture of the island was starting to get to my head or something.

"You just keep saying that to yourself, Pervert Boy." Kratos was still smiling in a way that clearly said 'I enjoy making your life a living hell'.

"Captain Obvious is about to receive a knuckle sandwich." I growled, raising a fist.

Kratos didn't reply, his eyes watching a drop of blood that was oozing down my wrist and onto the ground. I huffed, lowering my hand again and sitting down on the ground, crossing my legs. Kratos took a seat next to me, still watching the blood.

"What happened anyway?" he asked, obviously referring to my wound.

"That damn rodent again." I growled, deciding to wipe my hand on his pants, just to annoy him.

"_That_ rodent?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. He didn't respond one bit to the fact that I was dirtying his clothes.

"Yes, _that_ rodent. I'm sure you remember him, considering I was waiting outside his little hideout for two days…"

"Yuan, I think you hit your head a bit too hard on those invisible walls. We _ate_ that rodent." Kratos pointed out.

"Must've been a different one." I said simply, still trying to stop the bleeding.

"You mean that the one you encountered today must've been a different one." Kratos frowned lightly. "After all, there must be hundreds of rodents like that on this island."

"No, I'm sure it was the same one. I could feel it." My eyes narrowed to slits as I thought of different ways to kill said rodent.

"I think you're a complete lunatic." Kratos started to smile again.

"Think what you will." I grunted, getting more and more annoyed by the second.

"So, let's just assume for a moment that that was the same rodent… You're saying that it somehow got into the invisible maze and was trying to get revenge on you for eating its companion?" The human's grin got wider by the second.

"Well, _anything_ sounds ridiculous when you say it with that attitude. But that's the general theory, yeah." I spoke, not meeting his eyes anymore.

Okay, so maybe it was a ridiculous theory… It was still the best so far. There was no mistaking that sadistic creature for any other. Unless there was a whole horde of evil rodents on this island. In fact, maybe the rodents were behind all this, pulling the strings in the background. Tittering in their little hiding places as they watched Kratos and me get subjected to their little mind games.

… Yeah, the extreme torture of the island was definitely starting to get to my head.

"You are utterly mental." Kratos started to chuckle softly.

"Whatever." I crossed my arms, staring stubbornly at the ground. Like I should give a damn what he thinks…

I looked up when something sparkly caught my eye. Lying in the dirt, right in front of me, was a small blue jewel. It was shaped like a rough diamond and shone dully in the sunlight. Leaning forward, I reached out and picked it up, weighing it in my uninjured hand.

"Well, well… What have we here?" I ran a finger across the smooth surface.

"It's a diamond." Kratos said simply.

"Captain Obvious strikes again." I said, getting a bit bored with the joke by now.

"I meant that this is probably another one of those objects we need to put in the machine." The man sighed deeply.

"Oh…" I glanced at the diamond again, turning it around. It was the right size and shape alright. "Then I guess this is our prize for solving those puzzles, huh?"

"I would assume so." Kratos took the jewel from my hand, pocketing it with the other one.

Two jewels… Which meant that all we needed now was to find a key. Then we could put that in the machine and, hopefully, get the hell off this damned island. But something bothered me.

"I can't help but wonder…" I began slowly, laying back to stare at the sky. "Are we cracking someone's security code, or are we simply doing what someone wants us to do?"

"Hm?" Kratos glanced at me, probably wondering what the hell I was talking about.

"The machine is obviously there for a reason. It could be that it's just a device that the owner of this island created, to be used in case of an emergency. However, it could also be that it was created especially to lure us into a trap. What if someone _wants_ us to gather those three items?" I explained, looking up at the clouds again.

The dragons… The puzzles… Why would anyone go through so much trouble? Was it to stop intruders from using the machine, or to make sure that they would _try_ to use it, only to meet certain doom?

"You've got a point." Kratos admitted.

"Even that mechanical dragon said that it was there to inform us of the task that we had to complete to get that diamond…" I continued, thinking deeply.

Yes… Everything was too conveniently placed. What with the letters that lured us here, and some special field that annulled our crystals… The owner if this island knew that we were coming and exactly how to annoy us the most.

"But… Even if we are walking a path that someone else sorted out for us, what choice do we have?" Kratos questioned. "We're just going to have to try our best and hope that the master of this island will be waiting at the end of the road."

"And then I'll kick his ass!" I said immediately, clenching my fists. "I'll rip off his arms and feed them to him. Slice him open with my Swallow, take out his intestines and strangle him with them. I'll cut out his-"

"You've spent a great deal of time plotting this, haven't you?" Kratos chuckled again.

"It's not like I had anything better to do while I was waiting for you to finish that damn maze." I rolled my eyes.

Just then, I felt a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, accompanied by a familiar rumbling sound. I turned my head to the side slightly to see that Kratos was wearing a slightly pained expression as well.

"I'll go find some food." I said, sitting up again before getting to my feet with a suppressed grunt.

"I'll come with you." Kratos offered.

"No." I snapped. "You just sit back and rest. That damn Aionis probably tired you out."

"I'm fine, really." The man objected, already shifting to stand up.

"You're not. So just shut the hell up and do as I tell you." I growled, glaring down at him before walking off.

It might've been harsh, but I didn't care. I couldn't let him exhaust himself. I couldn't let him threaten his own life even more because of me. He'd already done too much to save me and I just wanted him to stop. I wasn't worth the trouble.

I trudged through the forest with a fast pace, scanning the trees for fruit. It seemed that ever since we arrived at the island, the fruit was disappearing with remarkable speed. And it wasn't just because Kratos and I kept eating it. Other animals were feasting on it as well. Luckily, we kept evening it out by hunting for meat, but some day soon we'd run out of fruit completely. All the more reason to get away from here as soon as possible.

Because my eyes were so focused on the trees, I didn't pay enough attention to the ground before me anymore. That was probably why I didn't notice that I was walking towards a steep descent until I suddenly found myself falling forward. My shriek rang through the forest, scaring a few nearby birds.

After a short roll, in which basically the whole world was turned upside down, I fell onto my back, knocking the wind out of my lungs. My vision turned white for a second and then it immediately shifted to black. Strange combo…

Breathing deeply, I lifted my head to see that I'd fallen down a reasonably high slope. Judging by the blinding pain, I'd probably twisted my ankle in the process as well.

"Fuck…" I muttered, laying my head down again to try and stop my heart from hammering into my chest.

The attempt was unsuccessful, as I froze in terror the second I felt something snaking around my legs. Not too long after that, something was also starting to bind around my waist, my chest and my left arm. Breathing as quietly as possible, I looked down to get a nasty shock.

Roots. Thick green roots.

I spent a few seconds cursing my luck. Then I looked around to get an even nastier shock.

Flesh-eating plants. Lots of them.

I'd fallen straight into a field of flesh-eating plants, and now they were going to devour me. Oh joy. Well, I wasn't giving up without a fight.

My right hand moved to my waist as I unsheathed Flamberge. If I could just cut the roots, I'd be home free. Just then, the binds wound tighter around my body and before I knew it I was lifted into the air a few feet. For only a second I fumbled with Flamberge's hilt, but that proved to be fatal as the sword fell to the ground.

"Dammit…" I gasped, trying to grab it again. Sadly, it was mere inches out of my reach.

The roots continued to pull from both sides, putting even more strain on my body. Just great… Two plants were having a tug-o-war over my flesh. Could this day get any better?

"Guh…!"

Yes. Yes it could. The binds around my chest were getting so tight, they were starting to cut off my air supply. Not to mention the fact that circulation in my legs and left arm was starting to halt and my hips were slowly being crushed. Even my free right hand couldn't lessen the grip. Possibly because the roots were slightly spiked.

I was screwed.

"Yuan!"

Raising my head again with great trouble, I saw Kratos standing just outside the field, holding Spatha in one hand. The look on his face was a nice mix of worry, horror and helplessness. If he set as much as one foot in the field, he'd step on a root as well.

He was going to try and save me again. I couldn't let him. I had to tell him to stay back, or he'd be screwed as well. Sadly, all I managed to produce was a pained choking sound. Pained choking sounds could be interpreted in many ways and I doubt he got the hint.

"Yuan, hang on!"

Was that an intended pun? I couldn't tell… He wasn't the kind of guy to joke around in a situation like this, but the choice of words was simply too ironic.

Another strangled cry escaped my lips as tears sprang to my eyes. My right hand stopped trying to pull the root around my chest and I hung my head back. That very moment, I knew that Kratos Aurion was going to try and do something incredibly, utterly stupid.


	17. The Confession

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Whee! My chappa-ter! Mwahahahahaha... And now for the one you've all been waiting for! Okay, nevermind, that was just to get your hopes up. :P It'll be okay I hope, that's all I can say. Oh, and by the way, my AIM is radioxactivexcow and I'm extremely bored most of the time so add me, talk to me, be my friend :D))

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Chapter Seventeen (Kratos's PoV)  
The Confession. 

Alright, I'm starting to wonder if Yuan was right, if the island really _was_ out to get us. First that rodent, who he claims had something serious against him, then the first plant, then that goddamned hole, then the dragon, then the second plant, then the dragon again... Even the _walls_ are out to kill us. And there I stood, on the edge of a field of jaw-snapping, flesh-craving plants, watching in well-masked horror as Yuan was fought over like a scrap of meat in the dead center.

"Yuan, hang on!" I called to him, though I continued to stand there helplessly on the border. If I went in after him, the plants would likely come after me too. If I didn't, Yuan would be killed. And I'd have to watch it.

I shuddered as the scene flashed through my mind, driving it away with all my willpower before grasping Spatha all the tighter and setting my jaw in determination.

And charging into the field of plants.

Almost immediately, a pair of massive jaws snapped closed inches from my left ear, and I barely managed to dodge to the side, slicing Spatha through the air where the plant had just been and hoping I connected. I was fighting blind now, swinging Spatha back and forth so violently that the world was a blur. I had to though, or else a plant would come at me from behind and I'd be eaten before I reached him. I swung Spatha rhythmically, slicing to my left, forward, then to my right, then forward again, over and over again, slicing away any plants that would threaten my movement.

Then they got serious.

I was a mere ten feet away from Yuan, who was surrounded by hungry plants and appeared to be struggling to remain conscious, when I felt a pair of massive jaws close down around my right leg. I swore in surprise and pain, driving my sword through its head, but already I could feel the blood dripping down my leg. Damned plants.

Hacking away at a few more, my path was clear to Yuan... And just in time too, for a plant was closing in triumphantly and growing dangerously close to his skull. It opened its mouth, ready to feast on the half-elf's flesh, when I came up beside it, hacking it off at the stem and slicing it aside as it fell.

This seemed to anger the rest of them, however, for they made a strange hissing noise which obviously showed displeasure, and about seven of them lunged at me at once. Without skipping a beat, I spun around, Spatha extended, slicing through the plants coming at me from all angles. With the nearest threat gone and the rest of the plants straining at their roots, still just barely unable to reach us, I crouched down beside Yuan.

Though the plants were dead, their roots held on stubbornly and I hastily sliced away the jagged vines across his chest and the ones who'd recently wound themselves around his neck. I winced slightly at the blood drawn where the vine had tightened across his throat, but continued to slice away at the vines until the half-elf was free.

"Yuan?" I tested, but the bluenette made no response, so I had no other choice. Heaving the Renegade leader up over my shoulder, I steadied my grip on Spatha and lunged back the way I came, dodging just out of reach of the closest hungry plant before making a mad dash through the lane of felled carnivores I forged on my way in.

The fight for freedom was far less strenuous than the fight to reach the half-elf, due to the fact that most of the plants who could reach far enough to take a bite out of myself or Yuan were killed on the way in. Sure, I had a few who I'd missed, a few who lunged at us hungrily before I sliced them off their stems, but it wasn't as grueling as the previous fight.

The way out seemed far shorter than the way in, but that was probably just my imagination combined with my lack of the fatigue I'd felt when I reached Yuan in the center of the field. When we were safely in the trees once more, I set the half-elf down near a tree, gazing at him a moment to assess his injuries. Nothing fatal, of course, but I wished I could conjure up a good _First Aid_ right then without slicing my hand open to do it.

Glancing up at the sky, I saw the sun four fifths of the way across the sky. It was probably about eight 'o' clock. Not that time mattered, on a goddess-forsaken island such as this, but... Oh well. The point is, night would fall soon, and we needed a fire.

I looked around me, and, spotting nothing by way of tinder, I reached up and grabbed a branch from the tree, giving it a sharp jerk and snapping it from its stem. I proceeded to slice it into pieces with Spatha and pile it in a general circular shape. And within five minutes, a nice, hearty fire was crackling before us.

Easing myself onto the ground beside Yuan, with my back against the tree, I gazed at the half-elf a few moments. When he wasn't running his mouth, I decided, he wasn't all that bad to be around.

Unfortunately, right then a pair of cerulean eyes snapped open and met mine. And if you've ever been caught staring at someone while they slept, you'd know how potentially awkward that situation is. I averted my gaze within moments and he was smart enough not to mention it, instead groaning in discomfort and rubbing his throat tenderly.

"How long was I out?"

"Not long. A half-hour maybe."

"Mmm."

In case you're wondering, this 'mmm' was not signifying a pleasant taste, but merely acknowledging my words. We sat in silence for a few moments, before he shifted a bit, attempting to sit up.

"Yuan, rest. You're wounded and it's almost nighttime anyways. I'll take the first watch." I offered, feeling unusually cordial toward the half-elf that evening. He considered it a moment, before nodding.

"Just quit staring, 'kay? It creeps people out."

"Hmph," I replied, turning away to stare at the fire. In about a minute, I heard his breathing even out, telling me he'd fallen back asleep.

My gaze returned to the bluenette, watching him a moment. Indeed, as much as I sometimes wanted to wring his neck when he was awake, he wasn't all that bad when he was asleep. Granted, he had his moments awake too, but... Both of us tended to ruin those moments anyway.

Before I realized what I was doing, my hand had wandered down and brushed a few stray bangs away from his eyes. Immediately upon said realization, my hand recoiled, as if his skin had turned to acid, but after a moment of tense apprehension, I realized it had not awoken him. Heaving a sigh of relief, I relaxed once more. My gaze returned to the line of blood along his throat and I winced for the second time, realizing how close it had been to slicing right into his wind pipe. That would have been death for certain. I shuddered at the thought, of how it would have been if I'd come after him and he'd been dead. No, that would _not_ have been good.

I hesitated a moment, before my hand drifted down to the wound, touching it with as light a touch as possible and reaching deep inside me, attempting to grasp even the slightest of my healing arts. To my disappointment, my probing ran into a solid block, obviously the island's effect on my Crystal. Lifting my hand away, I glanced at my fingers briefly. Blood.

My eyes widened. _Elven_ blood. Half-elven, at least.

"I wonder..." I murmured, before replacing my fingers at his throat and this time attempting to draw mana into my fingertips. All of a sudden, I felt a tingle, and when I lifted my fingers away briefly, the spot they had been resting had closed part of the way. It certainly looked less painful than before.

Replacing my fingers, I slowly drew them from one end of the wound to the other, closing it neatly. When I reached the deepest part, right across the front of his throat, he shuddered ever-so-slightly; perhaps he could feel it, even in his sleep. I only withdrew for a moment, however, for I knew he was too soundly asleep to be awoken by such a soothing feeling as First Aid.

Once I finished, my hand lingered a moment more. I remembered when we both first arrived here, though I was no longer sure how long ago that was. I'd have given nearly anything to get Yuan out of my way, teach him a lesson he'd never forget_. It'd be so easy to just kill him now, slip my hand over his throat and choke him._ I recoiled once more. Even the _thought_ of _trying_ to kill him gave me this horrible pain in my chest.

He'd better not have been awake this whole time.

"Yuan?" I tried, but he offered no response. "Yuan, you're a pathetic fool." Again no response. Satisfied, I brushed the hair from where it had fallen back into his eyes.

"No, of course you're not," I continued, only half aware that my thoughts were still being voiced. "You're not a fool, and you're by far not pathetic... Heh, I don't know when you've come to trust me as you do, but I know for certain that a few weeks ago, you'd not sleep soundly within a mile of me. How easy it'd be for me just to kill you... But I can't. I don't know what it is, but I couldn't harm you, even if it was my most fervent desire. I-... I'm unnerved by all of this, these feelings of trust and how I've come to care about my enemy. I know you could still be plotting my demise, to wait 'till I'm off guard and stab me or something, but... I can't help but feel that you won't. This unnerves me as well, how you may have lured me into a false sense of security, but how I am powerless to stop it. And how I cannot be alone anymore without this strange feeling of unnaturality, and how it feels _right_ somehow to be near you…"

My musings paused, and my eyes widened as I came to a realization. "The last time I felt this _right_ feeling... It was when I was around Anna. But... I loved her. This is different. I don't love you..." Yet there's a tone of uncertainty in my own voice. "Do I?"

No, it's not possible. It's unnatural. I couldn't love _Yuan_, he's a _man_! And he's arrogant, and he's got a horrible sense of direction, and...

And he's an excellent swordsman, and he's brave, and he's loyal to some degree, and he's probably the closest ally I've had in years.

_I don't love Yuan... do I?_

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((**Spiritua: **Ooh, I bet you never ever EVER saw that coming. :O Review please, I'm feeling neglected. Only two reviews for my last chapter. –_whimpers_-)) 


	18. The Assassin

((A/N: **Meowzy:** My turn again! Yay! Interesting chapter this time. Yup yup. Finally, things are really being set in motion. Thanks for all the reviews up to now, and please bear with us to the end!))

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Chapter eighteen (Yuan's PoV)  
The Assassin.

"I don't love you. …Do I?"

A chill that I managed to mask while feigning sleep ran through my body. I'd been awake all this time, listening to Kratos' words. I'd always figured he was a bit thick-headed, but now my point was proven. He'd even said himself that I wouldn't sleep soundly within a mile of him. Not to mention that I'd trained myself to simulate sleep or unconsciousness whenever necessary. Avoiding an awkward situation was one of those times. Sadly, in this case it only made things worse.

I heard a shuffling sound, indicating that Kratos had moved closer to the fire. Still, I did not relax, replaying his ponderings through my head. Trying to analyze his words and get them to make sense.

"_You're not a fool, and you're by far not pathetic._"

Awww… So I really wasn't the pitiful moron he always gives me credit for. Well, that was mildly reassuring. It meant that after all the time that had passed and all the nasty things I tried to do to him and his son, he still didn't think too badly of me. Before this, I wasn't sure he'd ever forgive me for my betrayal.

"_I don't know when you've come to trust me as you do, but I know for certain that a few weeks ago, you'd not sleep soundly within a mile of me._"

True. I wouldn't sleep soundly within a mile of him because I was sure he'd try to kill me as soon as I'd slipped into dreamland. When we first arrived, I suffered from severe sleep deprivation. That could've been blamed on the sudden loss of my Cruxis crystal powers too, though. Steadily, however, I started to sleep more and more in his presence. When did I come to trust him? Perhaps it was after he saved my life a couple of times and didn't give up on a stubborn bastard like me.

"_How easy it'd be for me just to kill you... But I can't. I don't know what it is, but I couldn't harm you, even if it was my most fervent desire._"

Something was preventing him from killing me? Well, that'd have to be the fact that if I was dead, he'd be left all alone on this goddessforsaken island. With nobody to talk to, he'd probably have to create some imaginary friends. He'd go mad and eventually get eaten by a dragon or a plant or something. That was all there was to it, right?

"_I'm unnerved by all of this, these feelings of trust and how I've come to care about my enemy._"

It's called friendship, you jerk.

Then again, I could relate to what he was talking about. Feelings of trust and care that somehow ran deeper than just regular friendship. That was what I was feeling towards him. A strange feeling indeed.

"_I know you could still be plotting my demise, to wait 'till I'm off guard and stab me or something, but... I can't help but feel that you won't._"

No… I won't. Why would I? I'd only come to this island to kill him because I thought that he'd challenged me in the first place. It was more of a pride thing. Now that the worlds were safe what point was there in killing him? The decision that I had to kill him to release Origin's seal was a hard enough one anyway. _You_ try convincing yourself that you have to assassinate one of your oldest companions because it's for the good of the world. … It sucks.

"_This unnerves me as well, how you may have lured me into a false sense of security, but how I am powerless to stop it._"

False sense of security… Yeah right. Just because I'd secretly been leading the Renegades for about a thousand years, right under his and Yggdrasill's noses, didn't mean that I was a sudden master of manipulation. … Or was I? It _did_ have a nice ring to it. Yuan, the Master of Manipulation. Making people wish they knew what he was really thinking since the great Kharlan war.

"_And how I cannot be alone anymore without this strange feeling of unnaturality, and how it feels right somehow to be near you…_"

It feels right for him to be with me? Perhaps the events of the past weeks were starting to get to his head. I'd always thought Kratos preferred to be alone. He gave off an aura that simply said 'Piss off', and I'd always assumed that that aura was correct.

"_The last time I felt this right feeling... It was when I was around Anna. But... I loved her._"

This was where the conversation started to take a turn towards Awkward town. He was comparing me to his dead wife. His dead human wife who escaped from a human ranch and had a son with him. The wife he was forced to kill with his own hands. Or, rather, his own sword. The sword that he was carrying with him at this very moment.

"_This is different. I don't love you..._"

Ouch. For some reason, that hurt like hell. That sent a shiver down my spine. I was sure that if I wasn't feigning sleep, I would've pouted at that without noticing I was doing so. He didn't love me. Why would that hurt? Why would I be disappointed at that? Shouldn't I be relieved?

"_Do I?_"

Welcome to Awkward town! Population; Me!

Still, there was a spark of hope that ignited in my chest. Why? Why was that spark there? Disappear, oh spark of doom! I can't be happy that he might love me! He's… He's _Kratos_! I couldn't possibly love _Kratos_! _Kratos_, of all people! With his messy hair that made me wonder if he'd ever heard of a brush, his constant obvious comments and his 'I'm better than you' attitude.

Then again… Maybe that's what I liked about him.

No. I promised myself that after Martel, I wouldn't love anyone ever again. Eventually, you'll have grown dependent on them, until they suddenly leave you behind. The grief will eat away at your insides and consume your emotions. That's how I became what I am today.

The fire was still crackling merrily as I kept my eyes firmly closed. There was no need to think about this any more. Soon, we'd go look for that damn key and then get off this island. I'd lock myself in my base, away from civilization, and forget that this whole thing happened. I was content that way.

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My ears twitched at a sudden snapping sound. Still half asleep, my eyes opened and I got quite a nasty shock. About one foot away from my face was a black dagger, its blade shimmering in the light of the fading moon. A sight like that was more effective than morning coffee any day. 

There was an annoyed sound that sounded like a mix between 'feh' and an ancient curse to my right, just before a shadowy figure turned tail and fled into the bushes nearby.

"Holy sh-"

I jumped to my feet, glancing around. Judging by the lack of light, it was somewhere between late night and early morning, as the sun hadn't risen yet. The campfire had already gone out hours ago, leaving only a heap of charred wood and ashes.

Alright, time to line up the facts. A guy just tried to kill me in my sleep with a sharp-looking dagger, but ran off before I could get a look at him. … Or her. Perhaps it was a her.

… Kratos. Where was Kratos? He was supposed to wake me for the second half of the night watch!

Panicking spreading through my body, I chased after the assassin. There was still a chance for me to catch up with him or her. If only those damned trees would stop being in my way… Good thing I had a bit of experience with running through forests by now.

Hopping aside to dodge a large oak tree so that I didn't smash into it face-first, I entered a clearing just in time to see large, man-sized bushes on the other side rustle. A smirk spread across my face. His ass was mine.

Though when I reached for Flamberge I came to a shocking conclusion. It wasn't there. The last time I had it in my hand was when the evil plants tried to suffocate me, and then I dropped it. This could only mean that it was still lying in the middle of a field of carnivorous flora.

Hastily looking around, I tried to find the nearest weapon. I smiled in delight when my eyes fell on a stick. But not just any stick… It was a pointy stick. Excellent. I snatched it from the ground without hesitation before turning to the suspicious bush.

Disappointment couldn't be greater when I pushed the twigs aside to find… nothing. Nothing at all. Just leaves, more twigs, dirt and other crap associated with forests. Even though darkness was ensuring that I couldn't see the ground properly, there was no way he could've hidden himself from my sight.

"Dammit!"

Grunting in an annoyed way, I turned to return to camp. Perhaps I could find some clues there. Or maybe Kratos had returned. I certainly hoped so. After all, I wasn't such a heavy sleeper that someone could kidnap and/or murder him without me noticing.

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((**Meowzy:** Oooh, a mysterious assassin! And where is Kratos? Wait for Spiritua's chappie to find out!)) 


	19. The Dagger

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Sorry this took so long, had no clue how to start. x.X))

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Chapter Nineteen (Kratos's PoV)  
The Dagger.

Dammit. Have I ever said how much I hate hunting sometimes? Well I do. But usually only on days like this day, when I couldn't even catch a _cold_. Okay, perhaps that wasn't my fault. Perhaps Yuan's manic rodent hatred scared them all into hiding. Hell, with the look he gets in his eyes, it almost scared _me_ into hiding a time or two. Heh.

That still leaves the shame of the hunter returning empty-handed, now doesn't it?

No, wait. I wasn't empty-handed. I _had_ found something, though it was about as edible as a Rhieard. Late in my hunting, I saw a glint in the shrubbery, and when I went to investigate, I found an obsidian dagger. It was about as long as my forearm, and had an unnaturally shiny blade. Yuan would like it. Heh.

I went to pick it up, but paused. Something wasn't right. I don't know what it was, but _something_ didn't feel right. My hand hovered over the handle for a moment as my eyes scanned the area and I listened into the silence for any sign of something amiss. After what seemed like an hour, I was satisfied and slowly picked up the discarded weapon, looking it over carefully. Who would leave a dagger lying around? A better question yet... Who else was on the island?

I hunted for another couple of hours, but I couldn't really focus, my thoughts on the owner of the dagger and, in turn, whether Yuan remained safe or not. And as soon as my thoughts wandered to Yuan, they replayed the previous night, the realizations and the further confusion that resulted. To put things short, my mind kept me plenty busy until I at last decided it was useless to continue trying, and even on the monotonous trek back to camp I couldn't focus on the island around me. But despite that, everything seemed fine, in order.

So it came as a surprise when I returned and Yuan was as worked up as I'd ever seen him. He was facing away, crouching by where I had been sleeping previously. I cleared my throat to let him know I was here. When he whirled to face me, surprise and-- dare I say it?-- _relief_ were evident on his features.

"Kratos, you're alright!"

He grinned slightly at this declaration, but I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"Alright? Why would I not be alright?" I prompted skeptically.

"Well, I woke up, and you weren't here, so..."

"I was out hunting. We need food, after all. Besides, you needed rest. I figured you'd sleep long past when I returned."

"I would have, if that bastard hadn't woken me up," the bluenette grumbled, apparently unaware of how ludicrous his words were.

"…What?"

"Oh, some bastard with a big black dagger was about to kill me in my sleep, that's all. I went after him, but lost him in the woods." His words were nonchalant, but my eyes widened nonetheless. I dropped the dagger in my hand like it was acidic, stepping away with my right hand resting on Spatha's hilt, though the latter was merely a defensive reflex. Yuan drew his cape across his chest in surprise, as if shielding himself from a blow. We both stared at the dagger in horror for a moment, him at the shock of seeing the weapon of his near-death once more, and me at what that would imply.

I suddenly felt his eyes upon me, burning with surprise, rage, and betrayal. My gaze met his, and I held my hands up in innocence.

"I swear, I didn't-"

"You tried to _kill_ me!" He accused, and I shook my head.

"Yuan, calm yourself, I didn't-"

"Then what were you doing with that dagger? Tell me _that_ one, Kratos Aurion." He shot back, and my eyes widened further.

"I found it when I was out hunting." I replied, knowing even before I said it how suspicious that would sound.

"Yes, that's right, you _found_ it, while you were conveniently out _hunting_ while you tried to _cut my effing neck_!" His voice grew slightly hysteric near the end, and I made no reply as he took a few deep, mind-clearing breaths, and began pacing slightly. His next words were softer, more to himself than to me, but loud enough so I could just barely hear them. "I can't believe I _trusted_ that lying, conniving, manipulating _bastard_." As much as I tried to deny it, each word, each name he called me, hurt like a sword twisting in the wound. "I can't believe it. And I actually thought he was my _friend_, actually kinda started to _care_ about him, and with that whole show he put on last night, I was starting to believe he might not have it out for me either-"

I felt a lump form in my stomach.

"What show last night?" I asked slowly, dreading the answer I knew would come. He paused, as if only just remembering I was here, turning on me with a hurt glare.

"That little game of pretend you put on last night, that whole 'do I love Yuan?' charade. I swear, you're so deep in your little masquerade that you even deceive me when you think I'm asleep! And then I actually thought you meant it, thought you might actually understand-" He cut himself off, biting his lip slightly, as if realizing what he was saying. I watched him in silence a moment, before stepping a step toward him.

"Understand what, Yuan?" My voice was soft, unthreatening. And I could feel a single strand of hope winding itself amongst the confusion and hurt in my mind. He reached to where Flamberge should be, ready to draw it on me, but found himself unarmed, and backed off a step.

"Get away from me, you'll _never_ understand." he hissed furiously, and I flinched, all but staggering back a step.

"Yuan..."

"No! I _hate_ you!" With this, he whirled and took off into the forest. But I couldn't bring myself to follow. I knew that if I caught him, pinned him down, and got him to listen to me, I could convince him that it wasn't me, but I couldn't. In fact, at that exact moment, I felt my knees give out, despite the fact that I was neither weary, nor physically hurt. I fell to my knees, gazing after him until he disappeared, and even then, staring at the spot I last saw him.

A terrible sense of loss came over me, moreso than I'd felt for a long time. Of course. This was the first time in years and years that I'd lost a _person_, and cared enough to hurt when they were gone. Yes, I said I care. Of course I care. He's my friend, my ally, my accomplice. My sidekick, Pervert Boy. And never before had being alone felt so... alone.

All of a sudden, there was a rustle behind me. I grinned slightly in relief. Yuan was back. I knew he couldn't stay away for long. He never had when he was mad at me before, what makes this any different?

Rising to my feet, I turned to face him. "Yuan, I-"

But I stopped. No one was there.

I felt that sinking feeling of loss once more, this time more forcefully than before. No, Yuan hadn't returned. He was still out there, convinced I'd tried to kill him, convinced I'd betrayed him, hating me to no end. My gaze returned to the dagger.

But it was gone.

Immediately, I remembered my earlier thoughts. Someone besides myself and Yuan had to be here. The owner of the dagger. And I had the feeling that that very being was who I was dealing with.

I suddenly heard another rustle, again behind me. But as soon as I whirled to face it, there was one to my right, and before I could even begin to turn, there was another to my left. An ambush!? I turned a slow circle, drawing Spatha, gazing cautiously in the woods. I couldn't help but feel like a deer, cornered in the hunt.

And that was the last thought that crossed my mind before my world went black.

* * *

((**Spiritua: **Sorry so short, but there's not much more I can add to the chapter. Cause he's... unconscious/knocked out/passed out/whatever you want to guess happened to him.)) 


	20. The Key

((A/N: **Meowzy:** My turn again! Yup, this was a nice chapter. I suppose. Uhmm... Yup.  
Thanks for all the reviews up to now! You guys rock! And I hope you'll enjoy this chappie.))

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Chapter Twenty (Yuan's PoV)  
The Key.

He was crazy!

How couldn't I have noticed? How could I have been so blind? The man I'd spent the last few weeks with was completely mental! Lost his marbles!

It all made perfect sense. Kratos was obviously some sort of psycho who kills the ones he loves. He killed his wife and now he was going to kill me. That's why he decided to use Spatha, the same blade that had pierced Anna's flesh, once again. That was why he'd compared me to the girl. Four thousand years of standing by Mithos' side had slowly affected his brain.

Well, I wasn't going to be his next victim! I was going to find that key, turn off the forcefield that subdued my angelic powers and get the hell out of here! I might even be able to leave Kratos behind here, if I somehow managed to start the machine up again from a safe distance. Though I'd need a weapon to be able to do so. As handy as pointy sticks were, they wouldn't suffice if I had to face another dragon.

This was why I found myself on the edge of that field of flesh-eating plants once more. Flamberge was lying right in the middle of it. Most of the plants were still recovering from the attacks of the previous night, but it was obvious I wasn't able to get to the sword without passing a few vines that would definitely try to grab me if I passed. Luckily, I had a trick up my sleeve.

Live bait.

"Now, remember little buddy… Run as fast as you can, step on as many roots as possible and don't look back." I murmured with a slight smile.

Using my cunning hunting skills and a piece of fruit, I'd managed to capture a rodent underneath my cloak. It was squirming around in the dragon hide desperately, but I wasn't going to let it go. Not yet. It wasn't 'Mister Fluffy Yet Vicious' himself, but it would suffice. Just the thought of snuffing off one of his relatives would make my day.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to plan my possible routes one last time. There was no telling where the little beast was going to run, so I was hoping he'd head straight for the shiny in the center of the field. Flamberge was shimmering in the sunlight in an almost taunting way.

"Go!" I shouted, lifting the cloak.

Immediately, the little rodent shot forward, trying to get away from me as fast as its little legs could carry it. All the plants seemed to snap awake, their 'heads' jerking upwards as the roots tried to make a grab at the animal that dared to run past. And indeed, they were so distracted that I could follow in the rodent's wake without being bothered too much. Sure, a few vines shot at my ankles, but I simply hopped over them and kept running, my eyes firmly locked on the prize.

Just as I dove forward to snatch Flamberge from the ground, I heard a shrill, bone-chilling shriek nearby. My little rodent buddy had been caught. Alas, as much of a hero as I was, it was too late for him. I had to look after myself instead of worrying about others. Something that I should've realized when I first arrived here.

My fingers wrapping around Flamberge's handle, I quickly scuttled to my feet again and glanced around. The plants were trying desperately to reach me, but it seemed like their vines had been cut not too long ago. Now that I was armed again, I felt strangely safe. But the fight was far from over. This was only a temporary silence.

"Oh gods, I _hate_ this place…" I muttered to myself, before holding my sword up in an offensive position and running back the way I came, slashing at a few stray vines to clear my path.

* * *

A key… A key… Where was I going to find a damn key? More specifically, a key that fit into a machine… I'd probably have to finish one of those damn tasks to get it too. It'd better be one I can pass by myself! 

Things were quiet. Too quiet. Kratos still hadn't come after me, the dragons were nowhere to be seen and even most of the harmless animals didn't dare show their faces. Sure, it was suspicious, but it suited me just fine. Nobody to get in my way.

If I were a third task, holding a key, where would I be…?

"A canyon?" I muttered to myself, looking up when I breached through the outer parts of the forest to find myself facing a deep cliff. In fact, it was so deep I couldn't even see the ground below. Just darkness.

Well, I'd seen crazier things around here. Shrugging softly, I decided to follow the edge of the cliff and see where it would lead me. In all the time we were here, we'd never truly explored _all_ of the island. It seemed small, but if you had to cross it to chart every little pebble, it was like an endless journey.

Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of something peculiar. Pillars. They were sticking up from the deep abyss and seemed to form some sort of path.

I sped up my pace and soon found myself standing before the path, my eyes widening slightly. The pillars were about five feet apart, leading all the way up to a sort of platform in the middle of the canyon. On the platform was a pedestal of some kind. But that was not what shocked me so. On a sidepath, lying face-down on another small platform, was Kratos. He appeared to be unconscious.

I'd better make sure.

"Hey, Captain Obvious Murderer!" I called.

No response.

"You shouldn't fall asleep on the job! It's not polite!" I continued, a bit more loudly this time.

No response.

"If you want your sidekick to save your sorry behind, just say the magic words!"

No response.

"Alright then." I grinned slyly. There was no need to save the deranged psycho, so I wasn't going to.

That pedestal, however, intrigued me. From what I could tell from this distance, it was square and made from some white stone. A small glint originating from on top of it caught my eye. However, I'd need to get closer to be able to tell what it was. Which meant…

"I'll have to follow the damn path anyway…" I grumbled to myself.

Hoping that the pillar wouldn't collapse under my weight, I took the first hop forward. Nothing happened.

"Heh. Piece of cake."

I hopped onto the next pillar. And the one after that. And the one after that. Nothing life-threatening so far. But now I had two choices. Keep going forward to reach the platform or take the left path to get to Kratos. Easy choice.

Ten seconds later, I landed on the platform with a sigh of relief. Still nothing life-threatening. I approached the pedestal, narrowing my eyes as I observed it closely. It was made of white marble and strange marks decorated the sides. Sticking into the top was a small key. A key that fit the exact size the keyhole in the machine had.

Around the key was a small ring of ancient language. The language of the angels. The same language of the words that were on the mana rings. Language that should've been long forgotten. It read; '_Ye whose bond is true, claim your release_.'

Mission complete.

All I had to do now was pull it out. Yet, if there was anything I'd learned from the previous tasks, it's to not touch anything without thinking things through.

I straightened up, crossing my arms as I glanced around. No shackles, no dragon lairs in sight, no walls that could close in on me… It didn't seem like spikes would shoot up from the ground either. _This _was the third task? Gulping nervously, I reached out to prod the key. Nothing happened.

Another sigh of relief passing my lips, I grabbed the key and gave it a gentle tug. However, it seemed to be a bit… stuck, considering it didn't move an inch. I tried again, and again, until I suddenly found myself cursing fluently and jerking the key.

… What's that rumbling?

Not releasing the key from my grip, I looked back to see that all the pillars, including the one I was standing on, were starting to shake heavily. In fact, some were even starting to crumble.

"Holy shit!" I squeaked, turning back to the key and continuing my pointless tugging.

Great. I was trying to claim my damned release from this hellish place, just like I was supposed to, and now the whole place was collapsing under my feet. And…

"… Kratos!"

My hands let go of the key almost immediately as I came to the realization that if the pillars continued to shake, Kratos would soon be falling to his doom. Still, even though I was no longer trying to pull the key out, the crumbling did not cease. In fact, it only seemed to increase.

At this rate… Both Kratos and the key would be lost. Myself included if I didn't get the hell out of here.

But… If I left now without taking the key, I'd be stuck here forever. And if I saved Kratos, I wouldn't have enough time left to turn back and get the key. Basically, I was screwed either way.

Wait… Why would I _want_ to save Kratos? He was a crazy, manipulating, murdering traitor! He deserved to fall into a dark abyss. I'd be better off spending my last few moments of safety trying to get that key.

Yet… Something was telling me to forget about the key. Something was telling me to help Kratos before it was too late. What was this something? Guilt? My conscience? Or maybe… Just maybe… Did I still care about the man, even though he tried to kill me? Did I perhaps even…

Guh! Why was I still standing here, thinking things through? I had to take action, _now_! Shaking my head furiously to rid myself of any further thoughts, I turned and started to jump back over the shaking pillars, cursing loudly. I was too nice for my own good. Seriously.

Staggering on my own two legs whenever my feet made contact with another pillar, I finally made it to Kratos' side. The rumbling sound had evolved into a loud sort of roaring.

"Okay bastard, it's been fun but now it's time to wake up." I hissed, roughly pushing Kratos' side.

No response.

"Wake up you jerk!" I practically shrieked, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him.

No response.

I glanced around nervously. Time was still ticking. By now, there wasn't even enough time to return to the key. The only path I could take now was back to the edge of the cliff. If I went alone, abandoning Kratos, I could easily make it there before everything collapsed. But...

Cursing even more fluently than before, I heaved the man over my shoulder. My body protested under the weight, still affected by various injuries from previous tasks. Even though Kratos had used First Aid, it hurt like hell. I'd just have to grit my teeth and keep my thoughts on getting out of here.

Just as I started our trek back by hopping onto the nearest pillar, the one we'd just been sitting on collapsed behind us. The one we were on now wasn't very stable either. In fact, it was so wobbly I was sure it might fall over any second now. Which was why I immediately continued jumping to the next pillar. And the next…

Finally, my feet hit solid ground and it was as though a sudden silence pressed on my ears. Groaning miserably, I dropped Kratos to the ground and tried to catch my breath. A feeling of pure self-hatred and disappointment formed in the pit of my stomach.

I was stuck here. I'd sacrificed my last chance to get out of here to rescue the guy who tried to kill me. _Great_.

Wait… A sudden silence?

I turned and stood frozen in shock for a moment, before a grin spread across my face. The shaking had stopped and the path leading to the pedestal was still standing. I hadn't failed the third task after all. There was still a chance to get that key and escape.

"Ye whose bond is true…" I repeated under my breath.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Har har! Does this mean the guys are safe? Or is their trouble only starting? Let's wait for the next chapter and find out!)) 


	21. The Disappointed

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Gad, going through severe Writers Block at the moment. X.x))

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Chapter Twenty-One (Kratos's PoV)  
The Disappointed. 

It was almost a disappointment when the soft, dark, comfy world faded into a blinding light and a steady ache made itself at home in my muscles. But that was before logic set in. As soon as my mind brought back the memory of my last few moments of consciousness, I was eager to bypass this sluggish awakening process, slowed by whatever had sent me unconscious to begin with, and find out where the hell I was.

The first thing I saw was Yuan standing above me, a grin on his face. He was mumbling something, but either it was too quiet or my mind was still too cloudy to comprehend the meaning to his words. Then I saw the sky above him, un-obscured by trees, telling me we were no longer in the forest.

The ground was rock-hard beneath me. Were we somewhere near a mountain? I moved my arm from where it lay across my stomach, lifting myself slowly from the heap positioning I'd been dumped into. _That's probably why I hurt_, I realized. _That dumb bastard dropped me._

Wait.

Yuan?

"_Get away from me, you'll never understand!"_

"_Yuan..." _

"_No! I hate you!"_

I flinched slightly at the memory, drawing his attention from somewhere off in the distance. Immediately he looked away, however, as if unable to hold my gaze.

"Yuan?"

"So the murderer awakens, undoubtedly plotting his next attempt at my life," the half-elf narrated, as if I hadn't spoken.

"Yuan, I swear on my own life that it wasn't me. I was out hunting all morning."

"Yes, hunting indeed... Renegade season, is it?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, and I growled in frustration.

"I'm serious, Yuan. If you'd quit acting like a disillusioned three-year-old for a moment, you'd realize that I couldn't _possibly_ have been trying to kill you!" I fumed, growing aggravated by his stubbornness.

His lip curled up in the beginnings of a snarl in response to my harsh words, but I gazed back into his blazing eyes unwaveringly.

"Why the hell would I believe _you_? You who came back with no kill, but only the dagger that had nearly slit my throat minutes before, you who claims you didn't try and kill me, but knows full well that we're the only two intelligent beings on the island-"

"Then I knocked myself out, and dragged myself out to wherever the hell we are, didn't I? Is that what you were about to say?" I shot back, livid.

"Feh," he scoffed, crossing his arms and turning away. I could tell I was getting to him.

"And Yuan, if it was me, you would have caught me in the chase. Whoever outran you had to be very adept at running through the trees in the dark, don't you think?" I continued with my logic, knowing he wasn't ignoring me as thoroughly as he pretended to.

I could see him watching me through the corner of his eye, listening.

"If this was my plan, don't you think I'd have had the sense not to bring the dagger back to camp?"

He seemed indecisive. I could tell I didn't have much more convincing ahead of me.

I softened my voice for my final try. "Yuan, you know you don't want to believe I'm the one who tried to kill you. I can see it in your eyes... It's just your stubbornness keeping you stuck to that theory, nothing more."

He turned his head away even more, so his eyes weren't visible, as a last defense of sorts.

I had won.

I remained silent a few moments, before placing a hand on his shoulder for his attention.

"You are unhurt?"

Two cerulean eyes gazed at me a moment in scrutiny. "I'm fine," he sighed in defeat.

"Good. If you were hurt, I'd have to kill someone."

He gave me the strangest look right then, surprised and slightly troubled. I didn't try and identify the cause, however. My mind was racing in too many directions already to add yet another train of thought.

It was then that I took a good look around me, and my eyes widened slightly. We were less than five feet from the cliff of a canyon of unknown depth, and a random scattering of stone pillar-like formations were standing precariously at various points between the two canyon walls.

And then I saw it.

A flash of light from somewhere to my right attracted my attention, as flashes of light generally do, and my eyes scanned the area for the source of said flash. It wasn't the flash of enemy armor, as my instincts were trained to suspect. That was impossible, and even if it weren't, I saw the object too soon to have time to suspect otherwise anyways.

The key.

I didn't know what the key was supposed to look like; I'd never seen it before in my life. Yet I knew that the final object needed to release us from this wretched island was a key, and there, in Yuan's hand, rested the object of our salvation.

He saw my gaze upon it, and grinned slightly.

"See? I'm not _completely_ useless," he mocked my words of a few days before, though his mockery was good-natured compared to the nature of some of his more recent utterings. I offered a slight grin in return, nodding in agreement.

"Not completely."

"I got the key _and_ dragged your sorry ass away from certain death. That has to count for _something_," he protested.

"Indeed, it would appear that you're not as useless as you seem." He seemed to battle over accepting or protesting to my words, and leaned toward accepting, until I added, "Usually."

"You'd be dead without me!" He objected, to which I countered:

"Likewise, many times over."

"Just admit it, you need me." Yuan smirked.

I paused, sighing. "I won't deny that accusation."

"So I'm not useless."

"I never said you weren't useless. I just agreed that I need you," I stated simply, leaving him silent for a minute or so trying to figure on what my words truly meant. He'd never figure it out. I knew he wouldn't. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the meaning behind my confession...

But just in case, I interrupted before he could.

"Shouldn't we be heading back to the machine room? Or do we wish to stick around this quaint little deathtrap for a while longer?" I prompted, and he shook himself out of his thoughts, an action that would have at one point sent his hair flying every which way. Now, his matted hair hung limp with dirt and whatever else it had collected along the journey. But, I noted to myself, it didn't faze his style one bit. He had this confidence about him that, even in ripped clothes and a smell that could kill a dragon at a hundred yards off, he still seemed every bit the Renegade leader. Usually. Though every leader has his moments of shame...

"Coming?" It was my turn to shake myself out of my thoughts, to see Yuan already a few paces down the trail, calling back over his shoulder at my stationary self. I nodded, rising to my feet and jogging the few paces to catch up. Then we headed off toward the telltale mountain that marked the center of the island, and our final destination.

* * *

"_It doesn't work_!? What do you mean, it doesn't work?!" Shrieked the half-elf in dismay. I as well was almost consumed in shock and anguish, but I kept a calm face. 

We'd walked the entire way to the room that started our adventure, complete with a fall through a hole identical to the first time, only to find that the key and the two stones, the keys to our salvation, didn't work one damned bit.

"Maybe you should kick it. That seemed to work so well last time." The sarcasm was obvious in my tone, but he seemed too upset to notice, as he proceeded to pull back his foot and lay a few good kicks on the metal surface, half in frustration and half in hopes that it may work as I'd suggested. With no response, he kicked it even harder, drawing back his boot once again to lay a final bone-shattering kick. I put my hand on his shoulder before he followed through with said foot thrust, however, drawing his attention. His eyes met mine for a moment, his defiance holding up for only a couple of moments before he crumpled in a miserable heap on the ground, his back against the machine and his knees to his chest.

"I'm sorry, it's just... We've come so _far_, and this was our final hope, our way off the island... Are we gonna be stuck here now? Forever? We're doomed..." He moaned the last two words with a conviction that affected even _me_, if only slightly.

I crouched in front of him, planting my hands on his shoulders and shaking him somewhat roughly.

"We aren't doomed, understand? We'll get off this island if I have to swim us all the way to the mainland. So get a hold of yourself! You're the leader of the _Renegades_, Yuan, now _look like it_!" I growled the words with a no-nonsense tone, to get my point across loud and clear. He raised his head slightly to meet my gaze with his own almost painfully hopeless eyes, then slowly nodded. I stood up and offered a hand. He took it, and with it he rose to his feet, brushing himself off.

"So what's the plan, Captain?"

"I... I really don't know." I hung my head slightly with this confession. This was extremely unusual, Kratos Aurion at loss for a plan.

"Then I think I do. If you can stop being a know-it-all long enough to give my plan a chance."

"I think I might be able to manage." I offered a half-grin, and he took a deep breath, preparing for a long and no doubt complicated explanation. But suddenly, he stiffened. His eyes narrowed, and he looked about him like the hunted would when the hunter is near.

"What is it?" I softly asked, but he cut me off with a sharp '_shhh!_' His eyes flickered to the right, then back at me, then back to the right. After a moment, I caught on, glancing to the right. And there stood the familiar fuzzy little creature that had haunted my companion since the start, half on its hind legs, frozen and gazing at us fixedly, almost mockingly. I barely suppressed a shudder down my spine; the way this rodent looked at us, I couldn't help but sense a greater intelligence than one of its sort would usually possess. An almost human intelligence.

Beside me, Yuan forced himself to relax. Casually, carefully so, he strolled over to the left, the opposite direction from the rodent. He seemed to be heading for the corner off to the left, but for what purpose? I squinted, sorely lamenting the loss of my heightened vision, and saw what he had seen long ago.

There was Swallow, lying nobly on the ground, where it must have fallen when the walls had separated once more. I narrowed my eyes as he had; surely Yuan wasn't intending to forsake his plan and chase down this innocent creature? Though deep in my mind, I didn't exactly protest to the death of this particular unnerving creature. I watched as he picked it up, looked it over with a fondness unseen before, and made his way back to my side. From the corner of my eye, I saw him extend five fingers. A countdown.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

And then he dove at the rodent, a savage war cry ripping from his throat. It was all I could do to keep from cringing, to force myself immediately into action as well, but I managed, planting Spatha in front of the rodent as it raced off away from Yuan. Now it was trapped between us... Yet I could sense no fear. It was _playing_ with us. No, no, now I'm starting to sound like Yuan. I just couldn't sense the fear because my Crystal was out of order, that's all. No big deal.

Nonetheless, my thoughts distracted me slightly. Only slightly, but enough to take a small fraction of my attention from the rodent. Enough that I couldn't react soon enough to stop him when he leapt farther than his short legs seemed able, clinging to a crack in the wall almost too small to see, and scrambling hastily upward.

Immediately I bent to one knee, cupping my hands, and Yuan put one foot in my hands, watching the rodent's retreating form with a determined and somewhat hungry look on his face. In one fluid motion I launched him upward, just as the rodent slipped out a high window. He caught the ledge and hauled himself up...

Which left me with a little dilemma.

How in the hell was I supposed to get up there?

The answer came immediately. I clamped my hand down around Spatha's blade, and felt the blood seep out almost immediately. I hurled Spatha at the ceiling, just above the window, and it lodged firmly into whatever material said ceiling was made up of. Holding out my hand toward it, I braced myself.

"_Spatha!_" I summoned my sword toward me, but it was lodged too firmly into the ceiling. As was planned. Instead, I felt a horrible jerk pulling at the bleeding hand's arm, almost pulling it from its socket. I found myself soaring through the air, though in an extremely fragile and uncontrolled fashion, until I was hanging by my sword from the ceiling. The window was mere feet in front of me. I swung my hips, once, twice, then on the third time I gave a jerk with my arm, dislodging my sword and sending me toward the window...

And out it.

The momentum carried me out onto the windowsill, and even farther. I attempted to stop my rolling, but I couldn't get a good grip.

Then the platform I was on ended, and I found myself falling. I jammed Spatha into the top of the ledge, holding me from my doom for at least a few moments. Carefully, I swung my leg to catch the ledge and pull myself up, but it only succeeded in loosening my sword's hold. Yuan was nowhere in sight, and nor was the rodent. I strained to keep my muscles tensed, for if I relaxed, the shift in weight would pull the sword from its precarious hold.

For what seemed like forever, I hung there. My entire body was shaking with the effort of holding myself still, ironic as that is, and I could slowly feel trusty Spatha slipping from its hold. But I still held on.

Have you ever strained your body to its limits for so long, you pass out? I have. In fact, that's what I found I was doing, when my vision blurred and the edges went black. My muscles burned with effort. Oh how I wanted to let go, let myself fall. The death would almost be worth the release from the torture that was involved in continuing to hang there. But I knew I couldn't.

Yuan.

I had to make sure he got off the island. I had to. At the time, I didn't know what the incredible force was that drove me to live for that single reason, but all I knew is, I had to stay alive for Yuan. I owed it to him, somehow.

My vision blurred even further, and I struggled to keep my hold on awareness. But as the moments passed, it was harder and harder to hold on. Consciousness was like a handful of sand, slipping through my fingers no matter how tightly I held. And at last, my grip failed.

It was a relief and a failure, both at once. But one thing was for sure; it wasn't what I expected. I expected to feel like I was falling... Perhaps I'd already fallen, I was already dead. All I know is, Yuan was there, his voice crying out my name in what seemed to be anguish, his arm around my chest, pulling me upward, then a great warmth that must have been Yuan pressed up against my side, his arm still around my chest, as I felt a long-awaited feeling of pressure beneath me, something hard holding us upright. And then there was nothing.

* * *

((**Spiritua: **OMG I AM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG! Feel free to hurt me or smack me or shoot me or murder me or whatever you want to do because I'm sorry...)) 


	22. The Spell

((A/N: **Meowzy:** Here we are! The next chapter! Written by me again! I have to say, I had lots of fun writing this. Also, it turned out to be one of the best chapters I have written. Ever. For any fic. Well, there might be something to match up to this, but... Seriously. Almost seven pages! I'm so proud! And... I'll stop my rant now and let you enjoy the chapter. Don't kill us!))

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Chapter Twenty-two (Yuan's PoV)  
The Spell.

"Dammit Kratos…"

There I was, sitting on the edge of an extremely high cliff, holding Kratos close to my chest. I knew that he couldn't hear me, but the words had left my mouth before I'd realized it. Damn Kratos… Scaring me like that… I was sure he was going to die. Again!

After jumping onto the windowsill, I had chased the rodent all the way around the mountain. That was the only place the ledge led to, after all. One pointless circle around the mountain top. Still, the little monster had gotten away somehow. If I was lucky, it had jumped to meet its doom. My luck never seemed to suffice though. Otherwise, that pest would have died three times already.

Anyway, I returned to the window to find that Kratos had somehow managed to get outside and hang himself on the side of the cliff. And then he called _me_ an idiot. He was lucky I was there to pull him up just in time.

"Moron."

I lowered him to the ground before turning to reach down the cliff, pulling Spatha from the soft stone. Judging from the way it came out with ease, I could only assume it wouldn't have stayed in there much longer anyway. Even if Kratos had held on, he would have fallen to his death. Though why he hadn't called for help was beyond me.

Just as I was about to slide Spatha into its sheath, my eyes picked up the crimson color of blood. It was splattered along the blade. He didn't…

Opening Kratos' left hand, I saw a deep cut engraved in the palm. He _did_…

I kept telling him to stop using Aionis. That it'd kill him one day. He never listened. That stubborn jackass. And here I was, elven blood running through my veins, and all I was good for were pointless little lightning spells.

After returning Spatha to its sheath, I gave a deep sigh, turning to the window. It looked like a pretty deep fall. Unless I wanted to kill Kratos anyway, I couldn't just drop him back in there. Maybe, if I lowered myself by my arms, I could drop to the surface of the machine beneath the window. But then, what about Kratos?

There wasn't really any other choice, was there?

I sighed, taking off my cloak and crouching down in front of Kratos. If he ever found out I did this to him, I was going to die for sure. So… All I had to do was make sure that he never found out.

First, I pulled his left arm over my shoulder. Then, I pulled his right arm over my other shoulder. Then I spent the next few moments cursing the fact that he was actually pretty heavy. To finish it off, I used my cloak to tie his wrists together.

The result; unconscious Kratos was getting a piggy back ride.

I rose to my feet, immediately suffering from the nasty feeling of getting choked. Okay, so maybe piggy backing wasn't such a great idea after all. Deciding I'd better get this over with quickly, I turned my back to the window and started to back away.

Reaching the edge, I crouched and leaned forward, taking one last deep breath. Kratos' body was pushing against mine rather uncomfortably. For some reason I couldn't quite figure out, it also caused me to blush. Probably just the high altitude, or the fact that the bind around Kratos' wrist was cutting off my airsupply, or something like that.

Then, I moved back and lowered myself into the room. Lower and lower, until I was hanging from my fingertips. Still, my feet didn't reach the machine. Neither did Kratos'. Great. I was trying to hold the weight of two grown men with my fingertips and at the same time I was getting choked. I produced a high-pitched whimpering sound, thinking that maybe I should've just dropped him in there anyway.

No turning back now.

I let go, hoping that the machine wasn't that far down. It really wasn't, as I landed a second later. However, Kratos' weight threw off my balance, causing me to slip and fall backwards with a scream. Lucky for him, I managed to turn around before I hit the ground.

Ow…

There I was, facedown on the ground, an unconscious Kratos lying on top of me. Is it just me, or do things tend to go from bad to worse?

I managed to push myself up again and untied the cloak around Kratos' wrists. He slid off my back and to the ground, landing with a soft 'thud'. He still seemed to be unconscious. Another awkward situation had been avoided.

Glancing around, I got to my feet. Then I spotted it. The door on the far left. Last time we were here, Kratos had been stupid enough to get the walls to close in on us, effectively blocking that door. Now we could finally pass through it with ease.

I leaned down, grabbing Kratos' arm and pulling it around my neck before snaking my arm around his waist to keep him upright. You know, I was getting a bit tired from dragging him across the island every single time. It was almost like he _enjoyed_ passing out.

After opening the door, I immediately had to squint to shield my eyes against the bright sunlight. Clean, outside air reached my nose once more. As I stepped forward, I heard the door behind me close and turned back to see its rough surface align perfectly with the surrounding rocky wall. It was like it was never there…

I sighed before turning once more and wandering into the forest to find shelter. Things just kept getting crazier and crazier.

* * *

What seemed like hours later, I finally reached the cave that we had made our home. Sure, we tended to sleep outside a lot, but we still needed a place to store rations and stuff like that. It was small, damp and smelly. On the plus side, dragons could never reach in here. 

I unceremoniously dropped Kratos against a nearby wall before stretching my muscles. If this kept up, I was going to suffer from severe back problems in the near future. It'd all be Kratos' fault. Captain Obvious. Mister Ego-The-Size-Of-Derris-Kharlan.

My eyes wandered over to his unconscious form. His auburn bangs were covering most of his face. He looked kind of cute the way he was lying there.

… Wait, what? No, I didn't mean cute. I meant… annoying. Or hateful. Not cute. Sure, handsome maybe, but-

_Yuan, get a grip_!

I shook my head fervently before sitting down in front of him. This man… I couldn't have feelings for him. He was my enemy. Well, sure, he was also a long time companion, but at one point I had tried to kill him. I had threatened to make his son one head shorter unless he'd release Origin's seal. Now, here I was, saving his ass from certain doom on several occasions. Okay, so he'd done the same for me, but…

I snapped out of my thoughts to notice that I was leaning over him, my face was just inches from his. To make things worse, his eyelids fluttered open.

_Fuck_!

I scrambled backwards so hastily I nearly fell. Still, I managed to remain in a sitting position, my heart beating faster than normal. I didn't even dare look him in the face.

_Think fast, Yuan! Think fast_!

"You need a bath."

"What?" Kratos' voiced sounded mildly surprised.

"You smell horrible. You need a bath." I stated, glaring at a far wall.

_That's the best you can come up with? Idiot_!

"Heh. Well, same to you." Kratos gave a soft chuckle.

"What were you thinking, following me out that window? You nearly killed yourself _again_!" I scoffed, crossing my legs.

Kratos sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. "It's best not to get separated at times like this."

"I would've come back for you!" I objected. "There was no other way off that ledge anyway."

A small silence followed as I stared coldly at the floor. Sure, maybe it was rash to just leave Kratos behind like that. I'd rather he stayed safe in that room than face certain danger up on a high ledge with me.

"Did you catch that rodent?" Kratos asked.

"Nah. It got away again." I grumbled, my fists clenching in irritation.

"You'll have the pleasure of killing it some day. I'm sure." He smiled faintly, his gaze focused on his left hand.

He wouldn't…

"Hold it right there, captain!" I shouted, lunging forward to grab his wrist before he could even _attempt_ a First Aid spell.

Kratos stared at me, obviously thinking I might've gone insane. I didn't care. Let him think what he wanted to.

"Don't you _dare_! I've told you a million times not to use Aionis! I'm sick and tired of watching you throw your life on the line! You may think that you're such a hero if you use magic now, but all I see is a moron!"

He opened his mouth to object but I simply cut across him.

"I don't care what you have to say, so save it! If you really think that we can't survive without your precious healing magic, teach it to me instead."

Sure that I'd gotten my point across, I released Kratos' wrist again and moved back with a growl. Once again, I found myself glaring darkly at the ground.

"Alright."

"What?" I looked up at him.

"If you think you can handle healing spells, I'll teach you how to use them." Kratos gave a short nod.

Wow, I hadn't actually expected him to agree… Wait…

"What do you mean, '_if you think you can handle healing spells_'?" I demanded, glaring at him.

"Well, they _are_ tricky. It will take a while to get the hang of it." He shrugged.

"Don't underestimate me, captain."

* * *

As it turned out, healing spells truly were tricky. A whole lot of babble about mana manipulation, focusing your mind and clearing your thoughts. Something I found myself unable to do while I was too busy trying to beat Kratos in his own game. 

I was, simply put, too impatient.

We practiced until night fall, took turns in bathing and then started again the next morning after breakfast. Only because I insisted. Kratos told me to stop pushing myself, but I was not going to throw the towel into the ring. I was going to use a successful First Aid spell, even if it killed me.

"First Aid!" a few little twinkles appeared around my hands, but nothing more.

"First Aid!" more twinkles.

"First Aid!" I growled, furrowing my eyebrows. This time, not even the twinkles dared to appear.

Kratos yawned boredly, holding out his injured hand. The target of my failed spells. We were sitting in a clearing, somewhere near the edge of the forest.

"You're not focusing your mind." The human commented.

"I'm trying!" I shouted in frustration.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's hard with all that sawdust in your skull."

"Oh, be quiet." I hissed, closing my eyes to concentrate solely on the magic. "First Aid!"

"Ow!" Kratos quickly retreated his hand, being hit by a small bolt of lightning that originated from my fingers. "That was uncalled for."

"I can't help it!" I called in my own defense. It was sort of true… Though Kratos did deserve that little attack.

"Look, you have to focus on your own mana. It needs to leave your body and enter mine, melding my wound. It's really not that hard." He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Just… Forget about succeeding. Forget about trying to show off. Concentrate solely on healing."

"If you say so…" I reached out, grabbing his wrist with both my hands. Then I closed my eyes again.

_Focus solely on healing… Solely on healing… Hey, I'm holding Kratos' hand. … Fuck!_

"First Aid!"

The words had left my mouth before I could stop myself. I definitely felt a bit of my mana being transferred to Kratos' body, but I wasn't quite sure what it had done. There was a soft gasp and a thud. I carefully opened one of my eyes to peek at my companion.

… _Uhoh_.

Kratos was lying on his back, his eyes closed. He seemed to be unconscious, but… What if I'd killed him?

"Kratos?" I grabbed his shoulder, shaking him.

Nothing happened.

"Kratos!" I shook him more vigorously, now grabbing his other shoulder as well.

Great. He was unconscious. Still breathing, but unconscious. I was never going to get the hang of healing spells. Though, if I ever run into that assassin guy again, all I had to do was try a First Aid spell. That'd stop him in his tracks right away.

I sighed, glancing into the forest. If Kratos wasn't the guy that was hovering over me with a knife, that meant that the real murderer was still out there somewhere. He could be watching from the bushes right now…

"Pervert boy?"

"Hm?" I glanced down at Kratos.

"You're still touching me." even though his eyes were closed, he was smiling in a taunting way.

"Ack!" I pulled back my hands from his shoulders as if burnt. "You bastard! You were awake all this time, weren't you?"

"Yeah." Kratos admitted. "But that _healing_ spell of yours packed quite a punch."

"Shut up." I huffed, crossing my arms with a scowl.

He was constantly messing with me. Every single time. Acting like he was better than me. Making me feel like an idiot. But… That one time… When he thought I was unconscious… If he wasn't a crazy psycho, then…

"Kratos?"

He made a 'hm' sound from the back of his throat to show that he was listening.

"How do you feel about me?" I asked, leaning forward to peer at him directly.

The question seemed to have taken him by surprise. His eyes widened for a moment, before he grinned.

"I think that you're a stubborn jackass who tends to act before he thinks and always wants to be right." he said.

"That's not my question." I snapped immediately, a bit hurt from that comment. "How do you _feel_ about me? What am I to you?"

"I…" he glanced away for a moment. "What brings up such a question?"

"You trust me, don't you?" I demanded.

"Well, yeah."

"Then tell me how you feel! Right now, straight to my face!" my eyes narrowed angrily.

I couldn't live with not knowing. I had to ask. I had nothing to lose. Only to gain. If he told me that he hated me then I'd have learned what I'd already assumed for many years. But if he said something else…

I watched him swallow nervously, not quite meeting my eyes. So I waited for him to finally open his mouth.

"I… I think I l-"

We both looked up swiftly when we heard a distinct rustling sound coming from the bushes. Kratos' hand shot to Spatha, as mine shot to the Swallow. Another rustle, and then…

There it was again. The evil, monstrous rodent. Its black fur gleaming in the sunlight. Its nose twitching uneasily. Its beady little eyes shooting back and forth between Kratos and myself. I heard it titter softly. That diabolical little creature had gone too far this time. It interrupted my best chance to find out how Kratos felt about me. Now, it had to die.

"Dinnertime." I growled, wearing what I was sure was a twisted smirk. I rose to my feet, as did Kratos.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. The rodent sat up on its hind legs and started to glow slightly. Sparkles similar to that of an angel transformation surrounded it, floating upwards in a slow pace. There was a bright flash of light, causing me to raise my hand and shield my eyes.

"I don't think so." spoke a low, hoarse voice.

Shock spreading throughout my body, sending icy chills down my spine, I lowered my hand. Standing right there, where the rodent had been mere seconds ago, was a man. A half-elf. His pitch-black, greasy hair fell past his shoulders, some locks even into his pale face. His hands were buried deeply into the pockets of a long black trench-coat. As if the hair and coat weren't enough, his loose shirt, baggy pants and thick boots shared the same color. His eyes were blue, almost like a clear sky. Just then, his smile turned into a grin, showing teeth that could match pure snow in their whiteness.

No… It couldn't be… _How_?

Muris. Muris the shadow.

* * *

((**Meowzy:** Dun dun duuuuun!)) 


	23. The Shadow

((**Spiritua Masquerade: **Whee! MMMUUURRRIIIISSSS:3 You guys may hate him, but Meowzy and I, we adore him to bits.  
**Meowzy:** Yup yup. That we do. -_hugs her Muris plushie_-))

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three (Kratos's PoV)  
The Shadow

_No... This is impossible. _He_ is impossible. We left him, he _died_, for Martel's sake! Muris died four thousand years ago... This absolutely can not be him._

I was shocked, to say the least. Surely this wasn't the same Muris that we picked up off the streets when it was just the four of us, the same Muris that we attached to exsphere after exsphere to research the formation of Cruxis Crystals, the same Muris that _died_ from our experiments...

Sure, you may think it was cruel of us. So did I, even at my young and inexperienced age. But there's no arguing with Mithos. There never was. He would always make sure it came back to haunt you. I was never very close to Muris—none of us were, really but myself especially. I was no half-elf, no genius, and all of us knew it. I was the combat strategist, the one who dished out orders on the battlefield and the one who finished off most of the opposition. I was content with that. That was my duty.

I remember it clearly, despite the four millennia I've endured since then... Our studies had us holed up in that dungeon off by what's now Asgard. Nobody knew we were there, though I think Martel's charms were to blame for that... I always was in wonder of her charms. Sure, her healing powers were magnificent, but it was always those little surprises that kept me amazed. Like how she could hide an entire run-down castle with a sentence's chanting. I remember that day; she warned me not to go out, for I would not be able to find it again, even if I were standing atop it.

I remember Yuan working tirelessly in the dungeon with the streetrat rogue Muris, only eating or even _sleeping_ every few days. I was called in officially on occasion, to subdue him when he thought he could best the tired bluenette, but often I just stood, watching inconspicuously from the stairway. Yuan never knew I was there, but Muris did. He made a point to glare at me fiercely at every opportunity possible.

He hated me, and by the glint I saw in his eye now, I knew he still did.

But how could he have survived? _How?!_

He smirked, his eyes glinting with malice, amusement, contempt, and the familiar 'I know something you don't know' look I often receive from Yuan when he's trying to appear intelligent. Not that he _isn't_ intelligent, but he's only rarely acting it when he's trying to seem it. If that makes any sense.

"Surprised, Kratos Aurion? I see your little pet half-elf _does_ keep a _few_ secrets," he purred, his voice silky smooth compared to the rough, rasping voice I remembered him having. His blue eyes were fixed on Yuan as he spoke, and my own gaze flashed to the bluenette as well. Yuan was glaring at him fiercely, defiantly, but a look of horror was underlying the ferocity.

"_Rot in hell, Muris_," Yuan hissed, and Muris only smirked even more. I got the feeling that I'd missed something, but I didn't really have time to figure it out.

My eyes looked over the sinister half-elf before me, comparing him to the weak, insolent rogue we left to die so long ago. He was so _changed_, almost everything about him was different, but I could tell that, despite the changes, it was still Muris. Back then, his hair was shorter and always greasy, a grimace of hatred almost cemented on his scarred face...

But now, his skin was as smooth as silk, I could see that from here, and as white as snow. His hair was still jet-black, but it seemed even darker in contrast to his pale skin, and it fell to his shoulders in a jagged, uneven cut. It appeared smooth, unnaturally so, but not in a wet, greasy sort of way. His thin lips were drawn back in a smirk, revealing teeth white enough to rival his skin, with two longer fangs where his incisors should be. His eyes were a deep, innocent blue, meant to lure others into a false sense of security as he cuts out their throat, and were lined with black around the rims. He was garbed in a trenchcoat of black dragon leather, smooth and sleek. This was _not_ the Muris I remembered.

No. This Muris was far, far worse.

"Muris," I started, my voice level, "what changed you?"

He sneered in contempt, as if I'd should know the answer.

"_Pain_ changed me, Kratos. Pain, suffering, and isolation..." The half-elf trailed off, as if his riddle were answer enough. "How does it _feel,_ to know that you, Yuan, and other little friends made me what I am today? To know that you are responsible for your own untimely fate?"

"How are you still alive?!" I demanded, growing frustrated with his unclear answers. He sneered again, as if I were some sort of lesser intelligence than he.

"You truly don't know? Pity, I thought you two were _friends._" With a smirk, he gestured toward Yuan. "Why don't you ask your accomplice? I'm sure _he_ could tell you about it," he suggested in mock innocence, apparently knowing more about the situation than he was letting on. I glanced to Yuan, who refused to meet my gaze. His eyes were glazed slightly, a pained look clear in their depths. For some reason, this made me angrier at Muris, that he was tormenting Yuan this way.

My hand flew to Spatha, drawing it slightly from its sheath warningly. "If I don't get some straight answers," I growled, "you'll know the true meaning of pain."

"Far worse pain can be inflicted upon a being than death, Kratos. You, of all people, should understand that. You, who killed your own _wife_... You, whose heart lay with another, even before you met your beloved _Anna_. You, who _murdered_ the only person who tried to care about you!" I was drawing back, slowly, my eyes wide in horror. How did he manage to target wounds he didn't even know I _had_? "You, who's traveled your life alone, with _nobody_, nobody to care if you lived, nobody to mourn you if you died... You who lived alone, and will die _completely alone_."

I didn't realize I was backing away until my foot caught on a rock, and I stumbled, catching myself on one knee and squeezing my eyes shut as tight as I could. _No! It's not true! _I shook my head, trying to regain control of my emotions, but to no avail.

"_Dammit_! Fucking _stop_, can't you see what you're _doing_ to him!?" This was Yuan, and I heard him step in front of me, the familiar metallic hiss of Swallow being drawn.

"Heh. If he was _that_ easy to break down four thousand years ago, I would have escaped far earlier than I did."

"_Shut the hell **up**_!" Yuan snarled, and I felt a gust of displaced wind as he leapt at Muris. But then he gasped in agony. I drew my head up and forced my eyes open, to see Yuan with Swallow's hilt against his abdomen and its blade protruding out his back. His eyes were wide open, yet unseeing, and his body was rigid. Muris was standing there, smirking, his right hand glowing slightly. _What the hell!? He's got an exsphere!?_

"YUAN!" I roared in anguish, just as Muris closed his hand and drew it toward his body in a flourish, and Swallow slid free of Yuan's midsection. The bluenette fell to the ground, dead. I felt my throat tighten to the point where I was unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to close up the rift that was ripping through my chest.

Then came the anger.

A savage cry of fury ripped from my throat and I drew Spatha, hurling myself blindly at the one who murdered my Yuan. My assault caught him off guard, and he leapt backward, away from me, eyes wide in surprise. It only took a moment for him to recover the smirk, however, and he stood square facing me, as if welcoming my attack. I swung Spatha with the force of Origin himself, or so it felt, yet he did not move.

All of a sudden, when my blade was mere inches from slicing him in half, his arm appeared in front of it with inhuman speed, and the almighty Spatha was stopped in full swing, hovering helplessly an inch above Muris's hand. He put one finger about an inch from each side of the blade, and, without touching it even once, he moved it slowly toward my neck.

"Not so tough without your tranquilizer gun, now are you?" He smirked, moving ever closer.

"There is a pain worse than death, Muris," I managed to choke out. "And I am not coward enough to let you end my pain now."

With that, I jerked backward with all my strength. He wasn't expecting this defiance, so Spatha swung free of his unguarded grip, and I jammed it back in the sheath. I picked up Yuan, retracting Swallow and hooking it next to Spatha, before racing off into the woods. I knew not where I was going; for the first time in nearly four thousand years, my eyes were blinded by tears. I raced on, however, stumbling occasionally, until I could no longer hear Muris behind me.

He let me escape. I know it. If he'd wanted to catch me, I'd have been caught in seconds.

I collapsed on one knee, Yuan's body laying on the ground with his torso resting somewhat upright across my lap. My arms held him close, yet my mind didn't race to think of some excuse as it normally would; there was nothing more I could lose now. I rested my forehead on his, my eyes shut tight against the world, a tear falling from my eye to roll down his cheek. His skin was already growing cold... I bit the inside of my lip, so hard that the blood came instantly, because that was the only thing I could think to do to release some of the agony that was building up inside me, and I cursed Muris again and again for taking from me the only thing I had left.

"Yuan... Please, Yuan, you can't leave me now... I need you, Yuan... I love you..."

My begging fell on deaf ears. I knew it would. He couldn't hear me. He would never hear me again. I clenched the leather of his dragon-hide shirt in my hand, squeezing with all my strength, as I tried to fight back a new wave of tears. I was shaking. I, Kratos Aurion, was shaking. After all this time of being alone, I was afraid of being without Yuan.

And this was one fear I refused to face.

I opened my eyes, looking him in the face, as much as it hurt me to see him like this.

"Yuan... I _refuse_ to let you die." I vowed, almost growling in determination.

With this, I drew Spatha. It was horrible luck that my first time at this was when even a small First Aid had a chance of killing me, but I was willing to deal with that chance. With Spatha, I quickly sliced a long gash up each arm, angling them downward so the blood would roll into my hands. Though I cringed at the sight of them, I felt no pain from the gashes, despite the depth and severity of the wounds. There was a pain far worse than physical wounds filling every fiber of my being with excruciating misery, enough so that I was numb to any physical pain, even if I were to shove Spatha through my heart...

Which I don't deny that I was seriously considering right then. If this spell were to fail, but somehow spare _my_ life, I would not hesitate to end it as well. But I had to try first. Wherever seraphim go when they die, it can't be as wondrous as the mortal world.

Blood was pooling in my palms, enough blood to weaken the average human. But I am not the average human. I am Kratos Aurion of the Four Seraphim, and I intended to save Yuan if it killed me.

I drew my hands together, rubbing them back and forth so they were crimson from palm to fingertip. Ripping open Yuan's shirt to reveal his wound, I couldn't help but cringe at the sight of it, but it made me all the more determined to bring him back. And then I began to chant, one hand hovering a couple of inches above his wound, the other above his heart.

"_Goddess Mana, Origin, Verius, anyone who can hear my plea,_" I begin, my voice thick against the pain, "_bring this soul back from wherever he's gone, bring him back to this body. In the name of all he has left to do, in the name of all he has ever done for me, and in the name of my love for him... **Resurrection**!_"

I immediately felt the mana begin to drain from my body through my hands. It was draining at a rate that, if I valued my life, I would find alarming. But I didn't. I let it go, let my life force slip through my gashed arms and palm and into the half-elf. Yet, after a good number of moments, my vision began to blur with the callings of death, and he had not stirred.

_I can't say I didn't try... Perhaps I will see you soon, Yuan, wherever you are..._

Yet, right when I was about to give in to the darkness, a blinding light erupted from Yuan's chest. A torrent of mana washed over me and re-energized my body, even moreso than I had started, despite the feeling of heightened gravity in my hands that signaled that my _Resurrection_ was still in progress. When I managed to open my eyes, I saw that it wasn't his chest that had erupted with light… It was my Cruxis Crystal. It had somehow overrode whatever force had nullified its powers, and it was feeding all its power into that one spell.

What's more is, as if the light had erupted inside me as well, the pain, torment, and agony of his death were being pushed away, driven into the shadows by a light of hope.

It was then that I noticed another faint glow fading into existence. This one was not from my own Crystal, but instead, it was from Yuan's. His had overrode the opposition as well, and was slowly intensifying until its glow matched mine's.

And then, slowly, he opened his eyes.

Relief washed over me, a ecstasy far greater than any healing spell could produce.

He was pale, and he looked extremely fragile. He was bleeding from both sides of his torso, but…

Yuan was alive!

"Odd... I was sure I'd be in Hell, with all I've done," Yuan murmured weakly to himself, his voice almost incoherent. "But this can't be Hell... _You're _here."

I could do nothing but grin uncontrollably in relief and draw Yuan close into an almost suffocating embrace. I buried my face in his shoulder, new tears of happiness clouding my eyes. I was almost laughing, that was the extent of this new rapture that consumed me.

"Yuan, you're... You're alive!" I stammered, unable to hide the euphoria in my voice. I didn't care anymore if he knew I was relieved that he was okay; I was hugging him, wasn't I? I didn't care _what_ he thought. By the tension in his body I could guess he was either wishing I'd let go, or in pain, but either way, I don't mind. Hell, I could have yelled 'I LOVE YUAN' right then, and I wouldn't care. There was nothing I could lose. Yuan was alive.

"I'm... alive?" Yuan repeated slowly, pausing a moment, but shaking his head. "No, don't lie to me! This... This isn't real. This can't be. If I were alive, you'd be yelling at me for getting myself killed, not hugging me. Not that it's a bad thing or anything. I mean, now that I'm dead and all, I should be allowed to enjoy it."

Somehow, I managed to remove myself from the embrace, drawing back and holding him parallel to me by the shoulders. My gaze met his.

"Yuan, _you're alive._ Do I have to prove it?" I sighed. At his disbelief, I poked him lightly in the stomach, and he gasped in pain, throwing an arm over the wound protectively.

"Why the hell did you do _that_, you bastard, you-"

But he stopped, his eyes widening in realization.

"I'm alive?" He questioned again, and I nodded. "So all that was... real?" I hesitated, then nodded again.

"So you really-? I mean, you kinda... do-...? Like, you-"

I found it amusing, how he mixed up his words, and I couldn't help but smirk. But I couldn't let _him_ see the smirk, obviously, or he would get all worked up and pissy, and that was the last thing we needed right then. So, obviously, I had to cover the smirk somehow.

I chose the way that would shut him up the fastest.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned forward so my forehead was resting against his and our faces were inches apart. His eyes widened in shock, but I didn't hesitate.

"I love you, Yuan," I whispered, almost inaudibly. And, before my common sense could kick in, I leaned closer still until our lips met.

It was the briefest of moments that the connection was made, but it may as well have been an eternity, with the effect it had. Yuan was literally dumbstruck, his words incoherent enough that I won't even bother to reiterate them to you. He soon realized that his message was unclear, so he shut his mouth, his brow furrowed in thought. After a short silence, however, he looked up at me, somewhat guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that... Care to repeat it?"

"Don't push your luck, Pervert Boy," I shot back, and he shut his mouth with a mutinous glare. We were silent for a short while, yet the silence wasn't awkward. Both our minds were racing, that I knew for a fact.

"Heh..." He laughed under his breath. I turned to him, my head cocked slightly in curiosity.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just trying to guess how long you've been wanting to do that." He smirked triumphantly, but I let out a short laugh to show he didn't faze me.

"Not nearly as long as you have, this I can assure you," I replied smoothly, without missing a beat.

"_That_ is-" the half-elf started to protest, but paused. After a moment, he sighed in defeat. "-a slight possibility."

"A _large_ possibility, more like," I continued to tease him, watching as his face grew slightly red. I suppose it goes without saying that I find him somewhat _cute _when he's angry?

"Feh, shut up." He turned away, glaring at some insignificant patch of forest floor on his left. There was another silence... But then a question burned to the front of my brain.

"Yuan, why did you do that?"

"Do what? Just because you're Captain Obvious doesn't mean I can read your mind," he grumbled irritably, and I brushed a stray piece of hair back away from his face, pointedly ignoring his foul mood.

"Back there, back when he was..." I couldn't think of words to describe it without causing myself unnecessary hurt, "Back when he was talking about pain... You got all angry, just because I was... too weak to handle it." I choked out the last words, a wave painful memories washing over me once more.

He sensed my pain, and hesitantly wrapped an arm around my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. From anyone else, it would cause me even more discomfort that I had to endure another's sympathy, for I hate being pitied, but from Yuan... it was completely different. It was like that light of hope when my Crystal's powers returned, driving away the pain. _Yuan is my light of hope._

"I did it because I couldn't just stand there and watch him hurt you," he stated simply, his voice soft.

"But then you... He... He _killed_ you..."

"Problem solved." Yuan shrugged, laughing dryly. I grabbed him by the shoulders, my gaze fierce.

"_No_!Problem _not_ solved! And Yuan, if you go and get yourself killed again, I'll..." I trailed off, unable to think of a punishment to represent the amount of anger I felt at the thought, and unable to think of how to punish a dead person anyways. I sighed, leaning back against a tree, my eyes closed in frustration.

"Don't worry, I won't, and-" His words cut off, and I could sense him sitting absolutely still. After a moment, I felt the half-elf reach out an arm, gently brushing my cheek. At this unexpected touch, my eyes snapped open, to find him examining something on his finger. Something small, round, and shimmering.

A tear.

Leftover from when Yuan was still dead, of course, but a tear no less.

"Kratos..." He seemed unable to think of any words to describe what was going through his mind. I looked away in shame; a seraph mercenary doesn't _cry_. It's just not something they do.

But the next thing I knew, his hand was on my cheek again, turning my head to look into his eyes. He held out the tear for me to see.

"Was this... for me?"

I went to look away again, but his hand was still on my cheek, holding it firmly where it was.

"Don't you pay attention to _anything_?" I growled, frustrated with myself that I forfeited my dignity so willingly. "I've told you plenty of times: I _need_ you. Now if someone needs someone and that someone dies, the someone is obviously not going to take it well."

He paused, watching me a moment indecisively, before reaching forward to draw me into a hug. But the moment he moved his torso, a tortured hiss escaped his lips, and he doubled over, hands to his stomach, where the wound remained.

It was then that he noticed the blood.

Quite obviously, we were both soaked. But the full extent was surprising, even to me. His entire front was covered in it, and still bleeding dangerously, and both of my arms were wet with blood from the gashes. I winced at the sight of my self-inflicted wounds, as did he. The pain that I hadn't noticed up 'till then washed over me, a violent burning in both arms, but I gritted my teeth against it.

"Did he do this to you?" Yuan demanded, his voice low and menacing. I shook my head once, my jaw still set. The last thing I wanted was for him to go racing off in vengeance and get himself killed _again_. He paused, his eyes searching mine... But then a flash from our left caught his attention. It was Spatha, one edge crimson with my blood, shining in a stray ray of sunshine.

His gaze was dark when he turned it back upon me, and I could only meet it for a moment before I looked away.

"Why the hell do you keep _doing_ that? Do you _want_ to die?" He demanded, and I chuckled darkly.

"That was my intention, for a few minutes back there." At his stunned look, I shook my head. "No, that's not why I did it. I had to bring you back, didn't I? And I needed plenty of Aionis for it to work, so... it was necessary."

"What did you _do_?"

"Cast _Resurrection_ of course, I figured that much at least would be obvious."

"You mean... The _Resurrection_ that you have not even the faintest idea how to cast?" He clarified incredulously, and I snorted in indignation.

"Well, I_ did_ have _somewhat_ of an idea. I mean, I heard Raine Sage cast it a number of times when we were traveling with Lloyd."

"That is _not_ the same!" He practically shrieked, his eyes wide. "You could have killed us _both_, you idiot!"

"_You_ have nothing to complain about. _You_ were already dead. But... It very nearly did me off too," I admitted, just as he sharply inhaled in pain. "Now, I have to fix _that_."

"No you _don't_, Kratos Aurion, I forbid you from doing any more stupid stuff just to make me hurt a little bit less!" He protested, but I was already chanting a familiar spell. "Kra-"

"_First Aid!_" I interrupted him, my hands palm up in front of me. My Crystal flashed vibrantly, and when it faded away, I saw the last of my arm wounds fading away. A twisted scar ran down each arm, a permanent souvenir of my first revival spell, but the hurt and the blood were all cleared away. Yuan's eyes were wide in surprise.

"Your Crystal! The force that nullified it has-"

"Yeah, I noticed." I interrupted dryly, silencing him. "Yours works too, in case you've not figured it out." And with that, I placed my palm on his stomach at the center of the fatal wound, trying to ignore the shivers of pain racking his torso at my touch, and began to murmur the spell once more, faster this time so as to take away his pain as soon as I possibly could. In half time, or so it seems, I softly commanded, "_First Aid!_"

And the massive puncture-wound slowly faded away.

He sighed in bliss as the blood faded from existence, allowing his weight to lean against my chest as he reveled his new pain-free existence. After a few moments, he looked up to meet my eyes.

"Is it kickass time?" He grinned. I couldn't help but grin as well.

"Yeah, Yuan. It's kickass time."

* * *

We stole silently through the forest, crouched as low to the ground as possible to still tread silently. I knew in my heart that, if he even tried, Muris could sense us coming. But Yuan was determined, and I don't think any amount of logic would still his vengeful stalking anyways. I led the way noiselessly through the trees, making my way back to where we'd left Muris behind. It seemed like an eternity that we crept, so careful our silence that my muscles burned in protest. After a while, I doubted my navigation. Surely I hadn't run _this _far? 

All of a sudden, Yuan jabbed my side with his elbow, nodding ever-so-slightly to our left. The telltale glow of the sun in the clearing sent an adrenaline rush through my system. _We found it! _Yet, aside from that small section of my mind, I wasn't celebrating. This could mean death for either of us, this battle. Though... With our Crystals, he was no more powerful than us, was he? I was sure that, if nothing else, our number could win us the fight. Surely it would be impossible for him to fend off two seraphim at once? Two seraphim with fully functional Cruxis Crystals versus one half-elf with an unusually powerful exsphere. I liked those odds.

The bluenette took another step toward the clearing, but I hastily grabbed his arm, giving it a sharp jerk to stop him. He glared at me irritably, but followed without complaint when I jerked my chin to the right instead. It would add to the element of surprise, I knew, if we came up behind him.

When we were halfway around the clearing from where we started, I crouched lower still, and crept slowly toward the sunlight.

At last, we could see him... But it wasn't a sight I expected to see. He was sitting with both knees in the short grasses, his eyes closed and his head bowed. He seemed to be murmuring something, but too softly and too quickly for me to catch. His back was to us, and, even when we reached the last trees between us and the clearing, he didn't even _twitch_ in our direction. I glanced worriedly at Yuan; surely Muris knew we were here? Yet the bluenette seemed unworried, his eyes filled with malice and triumph. His hand on Swallow, he took one, slow, silent step into the clearing.

From there, everything happened at once.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not polite to _eavesdrop_?" Muris demanded, his voice smooth and level. Right at the beginning of 'anyone', however, Yuan had drawn Swallow and desperately flung himself blade-first at the other half-elf's back, hoping to drive it home before Muris could turn and defend himself. My companion had far underestimated our opponent's power, however, and the word _eavesdrop_ took on a more commanding tone as Muris's hand flew around at Yuan. It 'caught' him, so to speak, but with the same invisible force that he used to turn our weapons against us previously. Immediately, with the momentum of Yuan's lunge, Muris swung the bluenette around to fling him out in front of him, away from me. My comrade flew across the clearing, slamming hard into a tree on the opposite side.

"Dammit!" I cursed, drawing Spatha and dashing past him. "_Grave!_" I commanded on the way by, to occupy him as I checked on Yuan. Ignoring the shout of anger and surprise behind me, I crouched down by Yuan, who was already propping himself up on his elbows and rubbing his temple with his palm.

"Yuan, are you okay?" I figured he was okay enough, though, since he was glaring daggers at Muris and spitting a fierce string of curses that even _I _couldn't think to rival.

"Let me _at_ that son of a bitch!" He snarled, rising to his feet and extending Swallow's other end as well. Reaching around his waist, I deftly slid Flamberge from its sheath, so I now had two swords to fight with, before turning to face the enemy half-elf. He was smoothing out his trenchcoat, looking somewhat peeved. When he turned his gaze on us, however, the anger faded to a look of amusement and mockery.

"Temper, temper. Remember, it was your short fuse that got you killed earlier," Muris chided in a sickeningly sweet voice. Yuan flexed his grip on Swallow, but didn't move. "Really now, I don't see _why_ you get so worked up."

"If you had any friends," Yuan spat through gritted teeth, "you might come close to understanding. But you don't. You never have. So you can't even _begin_ to fathom why I want you speared on my sword. And you won't live long enough to find out."

With that, as if on unspoken agreement, we dashed toward our opponent, who spread his arms, palms to the sky. I hesitated; this had to be another of his tricks. Like when he _let_ me attack him with Spatha. And sure enough, a terrible, high-pitched cry burned my ears. Yuan swore, jamming his hands over his own semi-pointed ears and falling to one knee. Searching frantically around me, I realized this terrible noise was coming from Muris himself.

What was this? An attack to immobilize the enemy?! By the looks of Yuan, it could be possible. But did it only work on half-elves? Or anyone with elven blood?

All of a sudden, I heard a familiar and horrific roar. A roar that echoed four times. The shrill cry ceased, and Muris allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction. Behind him, over fifty feet of the forest was blocked out by two massive, red forms. _Dragons._

He wasn't _attacking_ with that cry, he was _calling_ them!

All four heads roared in unison, snapping hungrily at the air. Yuan slowly rose to his feet, eyes wide and staring in disbelief at the task before us.

"Kratos... Am I seeing double, or...?" He questioned somewhat shakily, his gaze never leaving the massive beasts. I shook my head helplessly.

"Yuan, there's _two_ of them. _And_ Muris."

We surveyed our opponents for a moment, and as Muris saw our disbelief and hopelessness, his smirk only grew.

"Don't shit yourself, but I think we have company." No, I wasn't just pointing out the obvious again. I was referring to the first time we faced off with a dragon, when I said those exact words. It had seemed impossible, but we had won. I was hoping my comment would raise his hopes. He half-smiled, but the smile was without humor.

"Kratos... I figured, since we're gonna die and all, I might as well tell you now. Remember, uh... remember what you said? In the forest? About loving me? Yeah, well... Iloveyoutoo." The last four words were slurred together slightly, and he looked away, embarrassed. I offered a small smile as well, but mine was genuine.

"Yuan?" I prompted, and he turned to meet my gaze. "Good luck."

"Don't die." He repeated the words I'd told him so many times, back when he and even I myself didn't know how fervently I hoped those words would ring true. Now, however, they held a whole new meaning. A far more powerful one.

I nodded, turning back to Muris.

"Aw, how _quaint_. I knew you two would get together eventually. I mean, it was so _painfully_ _obvious_. Shame, isn't it? That you're both to meet your doom just minutes after you've admitted your true feelings?"

I looked to Yuan, and he looked to me. Our eyes met for a moment, the briefest of moments, then we both turned back to Muris, shaking our heads.

"No, Muris. It's no shame at all. Strike me down now, if that's what you so desire. At least I will die content." I replied, my voice unwavering. Yuan stepped up beside me now, his gaze defiant.

"Besides, we can't die. We have to kick _your_ sorry ass first."

"I see you both still underestimate my powers. I am what you made me, Yuan. _Unstoppable_." The last word was whispered, but it echoed through the clearing. Just as it was whispered, he leapt toward us, his flight an impossible distance even _before_ he came to the top of the jump. Blinding light flashed, and when it faded a moment later, jet black wings, seraph wings, were protruding from his back. Rather than a color, they seemed to embody darkness. That exsphere was no exsphere... It was a Cruxis Crystal!

"You see... I am the fifth seraph. And I have no petty restrictions to my powers as you do. I feed my attacks from the savage power that would consume either of you, and my abilities are those from beyond your wildest dreams. And... Such a shame to tell you this, but... It's time for you to die."

_

* * *

_((**Spiritua:** Mwahahaha! I LOVE MURIS.  
**Meowzy:** Nya... This chapter was thirteen pages... I can't possibly match up to thirteen pages... Still, I'll do my best on the next chapter, and give it as much goodness as I can possibly give! For Muris' sake! )) 


	24. The Memories

((**Meowzy:** My turn again! Oh, how much I loved writing this chapter... So much Muris luff. Also, a battlescene that actually looks better than I expected. I normally suck at writing fight scenes, but this one turned out... not so bad. And, as a pleasant sidenote; I'm getting two black gerbils next week, and one of them will be named Muris! Heeheeh! Well, enjoy.))

* * *

Chapter Twenty-four (Yuan's PoV)  
The Memories.

Horrifying. Truly horrifying. That's how I would describe our situation.

Defeating one dragon had been bad enough. Defeating two dragons and one seraph would be utter hell. Sure, we'd gotten our powers back, but would that be enough? The force we were up against had done more than triple itself. A seraph was more dangerous than a dragon, after all.

Our best bet would be to kill the dragons first so we could both focus on Muris without the threat of being roasted and/or eaten. Then again, chances were, Muris would make sure we couldn't get a clean shot at his little pets. Well, it was a chance we'd have to take.

I revealed my lavender wings for the first time in a long while, as Kratos did the same with his own. After Mithos started to use exspheres for his age of lifeless beings, I hated being a seraph. Now, however, the wings were a welcome change. For a moment, I saw surprise flash through Muris' eyes.

"You broke my nullification field." He commented, sounding as though a friend of his had just died.

"You bet. At least now it's a more even match." I raised the Swallow offensively, ready to attack.

Muris smirked again, tilting his head. More locks of black hair fell into his face. "It is still a futile effort. You may enjoy your last moments of life with your precious _angel_ abilities." He uttered the last words with much contempt.

The two dragons snorted impatiently, one of the four heads already snaking forward with a hungry look. They probably wouldn't wait much longer. This was it.

Exchanging one last smile with Kratos, I shot forward, my weapon drawn. I could sense that the human was just behind me, ready to defend should I need it. The dragons reared their heads swiftly, a bit confused by our sudden angelic speed. We should make use of that confusion while we still could.

I managed to land one quick slash across the first dragon's front paw, before I was already forced to back away. One of its heads had tried to snap at me and I only just managed to avoid it. From the corner of my eye I saw Kratos divert his course to the left to keep the second dragon at bay.

Wait, where was…

I swiftly turned my gaze to the right and held up the Swallow just in time to avoid getting hit by a strange scythe, being wielded by Muris himself. Where had he pulled _that_ thing from? Maybe it was collapsible, like my Swallow… Though its sharp blade did not physically touch me, a powerful shockwave caused me to fall to my knees immediately. Muris smiled triumphantly, undoubtedly already preparing his next attack.

"Lightning!" the magic coursed through my body, into my weapon, which was still in direct contact with the scythe. Muris did not seem to be hurt by the attack, though his eyes widened for a moment. I felt his strength falter for just one second, and used that second to jump to my feet again, pushing him back.

Then I heard a loud roar from my left side and remembered that there was still a dragon. A pissed one, at that, seeing as I'd slashed its leg. Using my wings, I quickly turned and dove to the right, hoping to gain some distance. I managed to leap a good seventeen feet before ending it with a deftly roll that resulted in a crouching position.

An incredible, unearthly cry rang across the clearing, telling me that Kratos must've been able to wound at least one of the dragons. The stomping sound that followed told me that the dragon was still alive, however, and trying to trample the human. I did not have time to worry about that, though.

I whirled around, hopping to my feet as I readied my weapon. The dragon with the injured paw was charging towards me with incredible speed. Muris was nowhere in sight, probably protecting the other, more wounded pet. Already coming up with a strategy, I waited about two seconds before shooting into the air, rising higher and higher until I was sure the dragon was passing underneath me. I flipped in midair so that I was upside-down and looked to the ground, watching the scaly beast pause in its tracks, its thick brain processing where I had gone. I shouldn't be too overconfident. Dragons weren't _that_ stupid. So I swiftly brought the Swallow above my head and dove downward.

The dragon's cry was unlike anything I'd ever heard. A sound that basically caused the ground to rumble. As if blinded by pain, it started to breathe fire in just about any direction. Its wings were flapping helplessly. There was nothing it could do, however, as my large weapon had been lodged deeply into its back. It didn't take long for the beast to fall, unmoving. Deciding to play things safe, I started to twist the blade around a bit more, only further intensifying the wound.

Then I was faintly aware of a flapping sound and the next moment I'd been hit on the back of the head by a long hard object. My vision turned white and my grip on the Swallow faltered as I tumbled off the dragon's back and fell about thirteen feet before hitting the ground.

"Ow…" I opened my eyes to see Muris dive-bomb at me, the blade of his scythe aimed directly at my face. The look on his face was something only found in the worst of nightmares. That of a horrible, murderous demon. Using my arms for momentum, I managed to roll to the side just in time.

I hastily got to my feet, lunging backwards to get a bit more distance, but I could see that Muris was hot on my trail. And I was unarmed.

"Yuan!"

If Kratos hadn't shouted, I would not have seen the Swallow that was being thrown towards me in its collapsed form. Doing one more jump backwards before dodging to the left, I smoothly caught it in my hand. Then I quickly extended it to hold back the next blow of Muris' scythe.

Kratos jumped down from the dragon's back, where he had previously been standing, to help me fight Muris off. However, just when I began to think we might have the upper hand because we had him outnumbered, the second dragon reared its ugly head. Or, rather, _heads_. Though one of them was bleeding profusely, they both seemed in excellent state to mangle unsuspecting victims.

Muris hopped back, smirking widely even though he had just lost one of his pets. A strange red light was reflected in those blue eyes. And then I noticed.

The dragon I had killed had set the forest on fire.

I breathed deeply, deciding to take advantage of this momentary break that would probably only last a few seconds. During those few seconds, I could remember everything. The time we first heard about Muris… Our little plans… I thought back to all those months spent in a filthy old dungeon. I remembered the things we did.

* * *

"Muris the shadow?" Martel repeated, staring at the wanted poster that had been handed to her. 

"Yeah. Don't tell me you haven't heard of him, sis!" Mithos spoke up. "He's famous! He's killed over a dozen humans already. In the most gruesome ways. Usually, he also ransacks their house. They call him the shadow because he strikes during the night and, when he gets caught, disappears into the darkness."

"That's horrible. A half-elf, attacking only humans…" the girl sighed, her green eyes saddening.

"Then I trust you have no objections?" I asked, taking the poster back.

"Of course I do." She said immediately. "Doing experiments on someone is still a terrible crime! We'd be no better than this man."

Mithos shook his head fervently. "No, don't you see? These experiments will change the world! If our theories are true… If exspheres can evolve… We can use them to end the war! There won't be any more fighting and nobody will have to suffer anymore!"

"Nobody except this Muris fellow." Martel objected.

"If the authorities catch him, which they undoubtedly will, he will be not be executed on the spot. I'm sure he will be tortured until he dies of agony. If we get him before they do, we can use his life for the good of mankind, instead of letting them throw it away." I reasoned.

"Yuan, this is a person we're talking about! Not a _thing_!" her fists clenched as she fixed me with an angry glare.

Martel hardly ever got worked up about anything. She was like a saint, normally agreeing with just about anything. When it came down to saving other people, however, she was horribly stubborn. It had regularly gotten us into trouble. This time, however, Mithos and I were sure we could change her mind.

"It is because he is a person that we need to do this. His life will have meaning, instead of the pointless existence it has now. Going around, killing humans and tainting the half-elf name, only to be caught and destroyed in the end. Don't you see?"

"Yeah. And there's no guarantee he'll die from our experiments. Maybe he'll live or something, and he won't go around committing crimes anymore!" Mithos added enthusiastically.

Kratos gave a soft snort somewhere behind us, deciding not to get involved in our little argument.

"Come on Martel, don't you want to end the war?" Mithos pleaded, taking his sister's hand in his own. "What's one murderer's life in comparison to a thousand innocent soldier's lives?"

She cast one last glance at me, hoping that I could still somehow put a stop to it and side with her. But I couldn't. This man wasn't worthy of living anyway. Then he might as well serve as our guinea pig.

"… Well, alright." Martel admitted defeat with a sigh.

* * *

"Let me go! You've got the wrong guy!" Muris was struggling desperately against the shackles that bound his wrists against the cold dungeon wall. 

"Like hell we do. You were caught at the scene of the crime, holding the weapon of the crime, covered in the victim's blood." I snapped back at him.

"So what? It was just a nasty coincidence!" He shouted, before turning to Martel. "You believe me, don't you miss?"

Martel's eyes widened as she stepped back. She too knew that we had caught the real criminal, yet her horrible feeling of guilt could have convinced her to have second thoughts. Though, if we were to let Muris go, he would attempt to kill us all without fail. I glared at the man immediately, yet before I could even open my mouth to say something Mithos had already stepped in between.

"Don't you dare talk to my sister. You're nothing but a deranged killer, giving other half-elves a bad name." The boy spat.

"I told you kid, it's not me." Muris growled. "Undo these shackles and I'll prove it to you."

"Hah. Like I'd be stupid enough to fall for that." Mithos rolled his eyes.

"You probably are. Which is why we're never giving you the keys." I commented lightly, earning a nice glare from the boy.

Heh, how I enjoyed getting on Mithos' nerves. I always made comments about his mental state, his girly look or anything else I could find to comment on. He, in return, always got back at me somehow. It was like a little competition between us.

"Can we get this over with?" Kratos interjected.

"Sure." Mithos took a bag off his shoulder, setting it down on the ground. He took out a few scribbly notes, an exsphere and a keycrest we had especially developed for this case. It was inscribed with all sorts of runes. "Remember, you have to set the exsphere at the exact angle of-"

"Yes Mithos, I know. I developed that part of the theory, remember?" I said testily.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you'd already forgotten by now." Mithos smirked back at me, getting his little revenge for my earlier comment.

"Alright, that's enough. Come on Mithos." Martel moved to stand behind her brother, crossing her arms impatiently.

"What?" the boy looked up at her.

"We're going upstairs. I'm not letting you watch this."

"But _siiis_…" Mithos extended that last word as long as possible, making it sound awfully whiny.

"_Now_, Mithos." Martel grabbed him by the arm, pulling him towards the door.

"Make notes on how it affects him!" Mithos managed to call before he was being dragged up the stairs.

I exchanged a quick glance with Kratos before we both smiled faintly. These kind of scenes were horribly regular within our company.

"You're insane! All of you!" Muris started to struggle vigorously again, only barely aware that Kratos and I were approaching him. "When I get out of here, I'm going to- _Get that filthy human away from me_!"

"Now, don't worry. This probably won't hurt that much." I spoke, attaching the keycrest to the back of Muris' right hand. Kratos, meanwhile, was holding the half-elf still by pushing him firmly against the wall.

Yup, I knew at that time that this was how it was going to be for a while. Myself as the researcher, doing the tests and Kratos as the muscle, subduing our guinea pig whenever it was needed.

* * *

The first few days, Muris did nothing but scream. Whether it was from pain, or simply because he was angry, was unknown. Maybe it was a mix of both. From violent curses to frustrated wails, I'm sure we heard it all. He screamed until at one point he had lost his voice. It was quite a relief for all of us. Especially Martel, who was still trying to stay out of it all and ignore Muris' pleas. Not once did she dare enter the dungeon, not even if she required my presence for something. 

I had to stay down there for hours on end, sometimes day in day out, observing Muris' behavior. More importantly, observing the exsphere. Watching it grow. Watching it evolve. It sure seemed to have an effect on the man. It took about two months before I noticed that, for some reason, his life force was slowly being drained. The exsphere was absorbing it. Mithos found that all horribly interesting. And, after learning this, we managed to speed the process up for later crystals.

Even though his life was gradually fading, however, Muris was still putting up heavy fights in the early stages of our crystal development. Often, Kratos would have to come in and tranquilize the guy. We couldn't just keep him shackled to a wall in an upright position for months. We weren't complete savages. Plus, there was such a thing known as toilet breaks, even for prisoners.

After two crystals had been completed, however, the effects of the drain were starting to show. Muris' pale face was even whiter than when we'd first encountered him. His blue eyes had started to take on a permanently glazed look. He was beginning to look more and more like a walking corpse every day. Still, the death threats that he uttered remained vicious as ever. He vowed, at every chance that the got, that he would one day get the satisfaction of making my friends and myself go through twice the pain he was experiencing at that time, if not more. He promised that he would one day slit my throat, after torturing me beyond normal agony.

The chances that Muris might survive were growing slimmer each day as well.

* * *

"And that makes four crystals." I attached the small, shimmering object to my keycrest, feeling the power flow into my body. It was a truly incredible feeling… 

"Then, that's it? We're done?" Mithos was bouncing on the balls of his feet, glancing around the dungeon one last time.

"I am glad that this is all over now." Martel breathed a sigh of relief. Even she had come down to this wretched place for the occasion.

"What about him?" Kratos jerked his head at Muris.

The notorious 'shadow' was lying face-down on the stone floor, his breathing coming in troubled panting. It was hard to say whether he was still conscious or not. He'd reached this strange vegetable-like state approximately a week ago and had only gone downhill since.

"We should put him out of his misery. I doubt he'll recover." I gave a faint shrug. After all those death threats, I wouldn't mind seeing him dead.

"Alright." Kratos unsheathed his sword, ready to finish the half-elf off.

At that moment, however, I caught Martel's eye, to see something I hoped I'd never see. A level of sorrow that chilled me to the bone. Even though she didn't open her mouth, I knew exactly what she was saying.

"Wait." I spoke and Kratos looked up, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? You want to say goodbye to him first? I'm sure he was your first and only friend, after all." Mithos smiled slyly.

"Shut up, brat. I've got more friends than you'll ever have." I snapped. "Anyway, I need to check something first. You guys can go ahead and gather our stuff already. That way, we'll be able to leave immediately."

Kratos put his sword away, yet didn't move just yet. Instead, he glanced at me with an almost expectant look.

"What? Don't tell you me you _want_ to stab him. I'll finish him off myself, alright?" I said, a slight hint of irritation appearing in my voice.

Relenting, Kratos turned and headed for the stairs, Mithos bobbing after him. The boy paused, however, when he released his sister hadn't followed.

"Martel, aren't you coming?" he asked.

"I need to discuss something with Yuan. You two go ahead." She smiled her famous gentle smile.

Kratos, doing the thing he had learned to do quite early whenever Martel and I wanted 'private time', cut in to distract Mithos with something involving swordsmanship.

"Follow me, Mithos. If we finish packing on time, we can have another sparring session."

"Alright! Can you show me that move where you-"

Mithos' excited voice trailed off as the two disappeared up the steps. Martel and I waited for their footsteps to fade before I turned to her, frowning.

"You're not still feeling sorry for the guy, are you?"

"Yuan, I…" Martel shuffled her feet across the floor, not quite meeting my eyes.

"I couldn't even begin to repeat all the horrible things he's said about you _or_ your brother. He's a maniac who deserves to die." I cast a cold look at the half-elf on the floor.

"But he's alive, none the less. A soul who can feel pain… And we've hurt him so much… Is he really the one who deserves to die, or should it be us? Who are we to say that we're any better than him?" Martel glanced up at me with those pure, innocent green eyes. Those eyes that I loved so much…

I snorted, tearing my gaze away from her. I knew that, if she kept talking like that, she would make me change my mind. Just as I had changed hers back then.

"Yuan _please_…" she grasped my hand, holding it tightly. "If we want to be true heroes, we need to have mercy on all souls."

I found myself staring into her serene face again, my hard exterior immediately softening. Melting away like snow in the sun. I couldn't help it. Martel could have that effect on people. She was just… So pure. Like a goddess.

"What do you want to do?" I asked in defeat.

Her expression immediately brightened and a gorgeous smile appeared on her lips, like a ray of light breaking through a thick deck of clouds. "I was hoping I could use a healing spell. That might bring back enough of his mana to allow him to live. But to do that-"

"-He'd need an exsphere." I finished.

Martel nodded and I started searching the bag Mithos had left behind. It was now filled with even more notes and a few spare exspheres. I took one out and examined it with a thoughtful expression. To attach it to the keycrest that Muris had now would be pointless. It would only drain his soul even more. I started to rummage through the bag again and, after a bit of digging, found one normal keycrest.

Not too long after, the special runecrest had been removed, to be replaced by the standard keycrest and exsphere. There didn't seem to be much of a change in Muris' condition, who was still panting deeply. Martel kneeled down next to him, holding her staff over his lifeless body. I merely stood by the side and watched as she whispered a soft spell. It was always a remarkable sight to behold, Martel's healing spells.

By the time she was done, Muris' breathing had slowed down to a normal pace. Though he still seemed to be unconscious, still looked as pale as before… He didn't seem to be in any pain anymore.

"I think he'll live now." Martel spoke, straightening up again before turning to me. "Thank you, Yuan!"

Before I knew it, I'd been pulled into a tight hug. A deep blush appeared on my cheeks, yet I held Martel close nonetheless. At that time, I hadn't proposed to her yet. Though we had been going out for quite some time. There was a war going on, after all. It was no time to get married. That's what I believed. Later on, I decided to play it safe and give Martel a ring. To ensure that I wouldn't lose her during our journeys. I was a rather jealous type and to me, Martel was the most beautiful girl alive. Sadly, even after the war ended by splitting the two worlds, I _did_ lose her. Even though I'd tried to play it safe, there was no avoiding it. We'd been betrayed by a human and Martel was lost forever.

So we'd left that dungeon, not breathing a word about Muris' survival to Mithos or Kratos. Martel had ended up taking the secret to the grave with her and I, well, let's say I was about to suffer the consequences. Not that I'd ever expected Muris to return after four-thousand years and have his revenge. Heck, personally, I hadn't expected him to live longer than _five_ years. Yet I should have known…

After successfully creating four Cruxis crystals in his body, he knew the procedure. And though I do remember taking my notes, I couldn't recall where I'd left the special keycrest.


	25. The Battle

((A/N: **Spiritua Masquerade: **Whee, not long left. This'll be 30 chapters at the very most, and likely more like 27. But... First, I gotta get through this chapter. I'm horrid at action scenes. Xx Ah well, I'll do my best. ON WITH THE FICCAH!))

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Chapter Twenty-Five (Kratos's PoV)  
The Battle.

My chest heaved with effort as I threw myself backwards, lungs crying out for air. In the moment before my two-headed beastie threw itself my way, I sucked in a ragged breath, only to choke as my tense and overstrained muscles readied to roll out of the way. With the feeling of suffocation sending my instincts into panic, I scarcely moved in time to avoid a massive red talon aimed to spear through my heart. I misjudged the strength of my roll, however, and ended up with my face to the dirt. Rolling myself over, I came face to face with the _other _clawed forelimb. My eyes widened in horror as it came in heavy impact with my chest.

"_Guardian_!" I gasped as the air was driven from my lungs and at least one of my torso bones snapped with a sickening crack.

"**KRATOS**!" I heard Yuan cry, but it seemed far away. Was I dead? Surely I couldn't hear Yuan if I was dead.

And I was right. The distance of the sound was due to the barrier of the Guardian as it expanded forcefully from my body, shoving the dragon foot from my chest and sending it recoiling in alarm. It snarled in defiance, snaking a head at my leg, the closest appendage, with teeth bared menacingly. I swung Spatha hastily in that direction, and the head dodged back, hissing furiously. It was obviously getting frustrated with my determination to live.

"_Kratos_!"

At Yuan's call, my head whipped around, just in time to see Muris flying my way with unearthly speed and accuracy, his reaper-like scythe poised to rip out my throat. Yet I found I couldn't move. My eyes widened as I struggled, but it was as if I was paralyzed from the neck down. There was nothing I could do but close my eyes tight against the death sure to come. But rather than the deadly hiss of the scythe in motion, a roar of fury split the air, and my eyes snapped open, in time to see a blue and black blur ram into Muris from the side.

Yuan!

At once I felt my body released from Muris's control. The pair were sent rolling to the side, wrestling for the upper hand. I leapt to my feet, ready to leap to my companion's aid, but a horrific hiss of triumph sounded from behind me, less than a second before four serrated claws tore down my back, and a blinding pain sent me tumbling to the ground in agony. I heard a scream of pain, the agony so clear in the tone that if I wasn't already near immobile, I would cringe away with the force of it. Yuan! _I have to get to Yuan!_ I forced my eyes open against the pain, and staggered to my feet, only to find him looking on in horror.

I realized it wasn't the half-elf that had screamed, but _myself_.

The way he looked at me, the utmost torment and terror in his eyes, it was as if I were dead. That's how I _felt_, quite honestly. I couldn't even _breathe_, what little air I could draw into my lungs past the pain making me even more asphyxiated. It tasted rancid, acidic. _Smoke!_ My gaze swept the surrounding area, to find that we were surrounded in a ring of fire. Yuan was still gazing at me, that look still frozen on his face, Swallow lowered to his side, the battle all but forgotten.

Muris, much to my surprise, didn't take that chance to slice him down. He was instead floating up casually to rest on the dragon's right head, a smirk on his face. I gazed at him a moment, eyes narrowed. Hah. Despite his cocky façade, I could see the strain in his eyes and the way he held his muscles. He was bleeding several places, though none serious, so I'm guessing it was the strain on his mana after hanging around without using it for so long that fatigued him so. By the looks of it, we had a few moments.

I tried to take a step toward the bluenette, but the dizziness overwhelmed me and I fell to one knee, lurching precariously to the side, and still barely holding myself up even when I placed a hand on the ground for balance. The world spun before me, half from the pain and half from weariness. But I had to keep going. Keep trying. Forcing myself to my feet, I staggered toward Yuan, and he jogged, far more steadily than I, to meet me halfway. Then, the momentum that had held me somewhat upright came to a halt, and I staggered once more. He hesitated, unsure of where to touch that wouldn't cause excruciating pain, before placing both hands on my shoulders. I winced in pain, and he winced as well, sharing my discomfort.

"Are you alright?" I demanded, though my voice was slurred with exhaustion and blood loss. He laughed almost silently in incredulity, shaking his head slightly.

"_Kratos_... How are you not _dead_?" He breathed in disbelief, and I laughed dryly.

"Well, I think I'm breathing, somewhat at least," I managed to joke dryly, though my words were nearly incomprehensible. "And I'm talking, so..."

"_No_, I mean... Kratos, it _crushed_ you, then it _ripped you in half._" He accentuated each reason as if to make a point. I half-shrugged, mustering the energy to speak again.

"People... They do the impossible... When they're in love..." I murmured, and his eyes widened, before narrowing mutinously.

"Now you listen, and you listen good, Kratos Aurion," he hissed, his grasp on my shoulders tightening. "If you start getting all sappy and mushy and disgusting, I'll feed you to that son-of-a-bitch myself."

I blinked appreciatively at his defiance, as it raised my spirits slightly, even in the face of certain doom. The dragon snorted impatiently, and both of our gazes shot to our opponents, but Muris still sat in recuperation. When our gazes met, his grip on my shoulders loosened, and, not expecting the change in balance, I collapsed slightly to the side, too weak to keep upright on my own. His eyes widened in helplessness, and he gazed deep into my eyes, searching for some sort of hope, some sort of sign that I wasn't gonna quit on him now.

"What do we do now?" He asked softly, his voice on the brink of breakdown. "We can't run, they'll hunt us down and kill us all the sooner..."

I brought my gaze up, a fire of defiance alight in my eyes. "Who said anything about _running_?" I growled with as much ferocity as I could muster with my slowly waning strength. Yuan's eyes widened ever-farther, this time in surprise and disbelief rather than helplessness.

"Surely you don't intend to-"

"Keep Muris out of my way. The dragon's _mine_. I'll show that bastard what Hell's like." I cut him off, forcing myself to my feet as steadily as I could manage. With a forceful flap of my wings, I was lifted into the air, Spatha in my right hand and Flamberge in my left. Muris rose to his feet, a hint of surprise in his features.

"Well, you sure are persistent, I'll give you that," he sighed nonchalantly, as if attempting to disparage our continuing to survive. "Alright, if you want to get killed quickly, rather than dying the slow death you're headed for as you are, your wish is my command. And pleasure, I might add." The dark seraph smirked, and I glared in return. "Ha. Do you really think you stand a chance?"

All of a sudden, I felt renewed. Refreshed. Re-energized. It was as if my body's mana had doubled, tripled. The pain from each of my wounds remained, just as excruciating as before, but it was dulled by this new sense of vigor and adrenaline that coursed through my veins.

Surprised, I glanced down at Yuan. He stood below me, palms raised toward me, and a white mist of mana flowed from his palms to envelop my body. In his eyes were a mixture of triumph, and the faithfulness a soldier shows his captain. His _Captain_.

Captain Obvious strikes again.

I couldn't help it; I grinned down at the half-elf, and a grin spread on his face in return.

_Don't die, Kratos._ His voice whispered in my head. I gazed at him in surprise a moment, before half-smiling.

_I won't. **We**__won't. Stories like this, they always end good._ I thought in return. He seemed surprised as well, but didn't question either our mental connection, nor the fragile and easily contradicted hope my words held. In the face of potential doom, it was nice to have _some_ sort of unquestioned hope.

After a moment, I tore my gaze from the bluenette's, raising it to the dragon and its master and readying the swords. I'm not sure if Muris gave some unseen command, or if the dragon just grew furious with impatience, but it let out a thunderous and malevolent roar, flames shooting from its mouth. I dodged to the side, and they flew into the tower of flames behind us. _If we don't finish this soon and get the hell out of here,_ I realized, _there won't be any island left to battle on_. But there was no time to think. I flapped my wings and shot up into the air, swinging my sword at the beast threateningly. It roared once more, though this time flames only sparked from its nostrils, and within seconds it had unfurled its massive wings.

It took the beast one mighty flap to ascend as far as three flaps had sent me, I realized. This dragon could outfly me in speed, AND strength. But I had _mana_ to my advantage, and maneuverability. With this in mind, I charged, and it flew to meet me. One head lashed out to bite me, and I fought it off forcefully with Flamberge, only turning in time to release a hasty _Icicle_ spell at the other one before it clamped around my head.

"_Grave Blade_!" I commanded, swinging my swords at the head that wasn't occupied with the icicles. I didn't hesitate more than a second, using the distraction to zoom underneath the beast, slicing along its underbelly as I did so. The beast let out a screech of pain, and before I could react, I was struck in the side of the head with something very hard, while it at the same time impaled my shoulder. Though my vision blacked out with the pain and the force of it, I knew at once that I had come into range of the dragon's spiked tail... It was a wonder the spike that had dug into my shoulder had missed my head or throat.

I felt myself plunging toward the ground many hundreds of feet below, but was unable to do anything more than gasp in pain. I clawed through my brain, searching for the place from which I draw my mana, the place from which I use my seraph wings, yet I couldn't find it. I was stuck, wingless and plummeting toward the ground nearly twice the speed I could dive there of my own accord.

My body struck the ground, this I now know, but I didn't realize it then. It had struck with such force that there was a small crater where I landed, Yuan later told me. I don't remember. I must have blacked out. The next thing I myself can recall is standing, watching Muris and Yuan struggle desperately for the upper hand. The dragon was still above, this I could tell from the pained roaring and heavy drops of blood falling like rain, but I didn't think even once about its dangers. My eyes were locked on my comrade and my enemy, and their fierce death-struggle. I had both swords drawn, but I was frozen to the spot.

Muris... I watched him, and I couldn't help but feel a sort of awe. He wasn't _trained_, nor four thousand years old, nor even a true seraph, yet he was fighting with an almost effortless grace, despite the visibility of his strain. Not that Yuan wasn't strained either; no, sweat ran down his brow and he looked ready to pass out. Though I doubt he looked a fourth as bad as I did, I was angry at Muris for doing this to him.

"_Thunder Blade!"_ I roared, and by the time Muris leapt to the side, it was already atop him. _Wait... NO! YUAN!_ I realized my dire mistake only seconds too late. Yuan was there, right there! And _he_ was unsuspecting as well! And he was so weak... I prayed with all my strength that I hadn't hurt him, or worse.

Yet, to my surprise, and apparently his as well, I saw him standing amidst the lightning, unfazed by even the slightest pain.

"Yeah!" He crowed in triumph, "Take that, you bastard!"

Now that he had the upper hand, I reached into myself and drew forth my wings, lifting myself up in the air once more. The dragon was watching me, and I could almost see its raw, unbridled fury in its eyes.

In the words of Yuan... _Bring it, bitch._

And he brought it, diving at me as if my words had been aloud. I was ready though, dodging to the side as his gaping jaws soared past my head. I didn't dodge quite far enough, however, and the side of the jaw struck my shoulder. All of a sudden, there was an excruciating pain in said shoulder, though nowhere near the place the jaw struck. I felt my hand muscles strain open in pain, but not of my accord, and to my dismay, I saw Spatha slipping away, falling toward the turf. Toward Yuan and Muris.

"**YUAN!**" I roared, and he glanced up, leaping to the side just in time, much to my relief. Yet that still left me one-handed and one-sworded against a pissed off two-headed dragon. With claws. And a tail.

It lunged, and this time, I let it come straight at me, as Muris had done when I'd attacked him. Rather, I swung my sword to the right and my other arm to the left. Acquiescing my 'dodge', a head went left and a head went right. Yet I remained in the middle, my mouth muttering words so fast no crystal-less human could comprehend a single syllable. This was all in preparation, so when I swung Flamberge up and plunged it into the crook of the two necks, I could make my command:

"_**Holy Judgment Storm**!"_ I bellowed, and before I could even comprehend the possible consequences of my newly combined spell, I heard what could only be described as a sonic boom, and an orb of raw, unharnessed mana surrounded both myself and the dragon. I dove for the bottom of the orb, toward Yuan, out of harm's way, but I had only made it three fourths of the way before there was a flash of blinding light, followed quickly by another, and another and another. It was Judgment, times nearly a hundred in frequency... And, judging by the pleasant tingle in my spine and my wounded areas, it had healing aspects as well.

Not for the dragon, however. I continued diving, but behind me, I heard an unearthly screech, unmistakably the screech of death. Yet it cut off, just as another boom sounded. The dragon was no more.

Both seraphim below were gazing up at me, awestruck. I glanced to Yuan pointedly, and he caught on at once, whirling on Muris with his hand around the archangel's throat before the enemy could even lift his weapon. Two cerulean eyes widened in horror at this change in power, yet Muris said nothing. I landed behind Yuan, stepping up behind him, yet not beside him. Muris was his.

"Yuan... You do not truly wish to kill me, Yuan," Muris murmured, his voice nearly a purr. The half-elf narrowed his eyes.

"And why the hell not!? You-, you-," he was nearly too furious to speak, but he realized this weakness and paused a moment. "You nearly killed me, and even worse, you nearly killed _Kratos_! And let me tell you something, you bastard, I would torture you in the cruelest and most excruciating ways possible, if I could. So I'll just settle for finishing you here and now," he hissed in rage.

"Yuan, Yuan, Yuan..." Muris laughed slightly, humorlessly. "I was trying to kill you as a gift of gratitude. I was giving you your deepest and strongest, to be with your precious _Martel_." Muris slowly reached out, touching Yuan with the slightest of touches on the side of the temple, his hand shaking with fatigue. "She wouldn't have wanted me dead, Yuan... She whom you promised to let me live."

Yuan's eyes widened in horror and he gasped as if struck in the stomach, but before another word could be said, he plunged Swallow through Muris's chest.

The dark seraph's eyes went round with fear, and he gasped in pain, falling to his knees. His black wings went limp behind him, and his hair fell over his face to obscure his eyes.

"There will not be a moment when you will not regret this, Yuan..." He whispered, his voice cold with the very _essence_ of death. "I will always be there, Yuan, watching your every breath... You will wait, Yuan, you will expect me to come for you, but when I don't... You will drop your guard eventually, Yuan. You have to sleep _sometime_... And when you do..."

Yet he didn't finish his sentence. A horrible gasping was heard, and Muris collapsed to the ground. His body disappeared, claimed by the shadows.

"_You will be dead..."_

The voice was in my head, in my ears, all around me. I whirled around, trying to pinpoint the bastard's location. But all was silent. All was peaceful. Even the fires had gone out, upon Muris's demise. Yet a shiver still ran down my spine.

The half-elf sank to his knees beside me. His muscles were rigid, and his eyes were wide with shock and horror. Swallow was dropped to the ground, forgotten.

"Yuan?" I prompted, yet his gaze was fixed on something in the distance, though I knew he wasn't really seeing it, and his head was shaking slightly. I sank to one knee, grabbing him by the shoulders, and cringing in the pain it caused my entire body.

"Yuan!? Are you alright?" Yet he didn't seem to hear me. Suddenly, a memory flashed to the front of my mind, of a young blonde half-elf with bright blue eyes doing this exact same thing when his beloved sister had died. Mithos.

His breathing was rapid, almost hyperventilating-speed, and every muscle in his body was tensed to its limit.

"Enough!" I growled under my breath, grabbing him roughly with one hand on each side of his head and none too softly bringing his head forward so our foreheads met and he had no choice but to look me in the eyes. "Yuan, _stop this_!"

The bluenette blinked, startling slightly, yet obviously no longer in the state he was before. His muscles all went lax, and he collapsed against my chest, heaving deep breaths of recovery. I wrapped my arm around his back, half to comfort him and half to support his weight, hissing slightly in pain. My cheek rested softly on the top of his head. After a few moments of silence, his deep breathing grew less urgent, and when I was sure he'd for the most part recovered, I lifted my cheek and tilted my head so I could see his face.

"What was that?"

He looked up at me with wide eyes, as if he'd previously been unaware of my presence, though I know that's impossible, given our current position. Shaking his head helplessly, he struggled for the words.

"Martel..." He rasped, his voice labored.

"What about her?" I prompted, softly. His hand drifted protectively up to the side of his temple, resting in the exact spot Muris's had, and his eyes were almost glazed in pain.

"I _saw_ her, Kratos... She was calling to me, telling me to join her," he choked out in torment. "She... She was so _real_, and I couldn't help it... I couldn't escape..."

A tremor racked his entire body, and he closed his eyes tightly, apparently fighting off... something. I wrapped my arm around him tighter, though I admit, I was still new to this whole 'comfort Yuan' thing. After a few moments, his eyes slowly opened once more, a pain incomprehensible to me in the depths of his eyes.

"When I stabbed him, I heard her scream. _I killed her again_, Kratos..." His voice was unsteady, and I could tell he was on the brink of another mental breakdown.

"Get a hold of yourself!" I commanded roughly. "You didn't kill her, you killed the one that tried to kill _us_, now if you're not going to pull yourself together and act like a _man_, then, goddammit, I'll _beat_ it into you!"

He blinked up at me in alarm, too stunned to speak. I admit, I was surprised with _myself_. But I couldn't let him fall to pieces like that. It's just... not right. I don't know how to explain it, but... Yuan's not supposed to fall to pieces. _I'd_ fall to pieces before he would, normally. Alright, I got frustrated. But... It seemed to have worked.

"Kratos..." He found his voice, quite obviously, though only barely.

"Yes, I know. I've a brilliant way with words, and I'm none too bad at this 'kickass' you find your pleasure in either." I smirked, and after a minute, he made a disgruntled 'feh' noise. My attempt to lighten the mood seemed to have worked.

"Arrogant bastard," he grumbled, a half-hearted attempt at anger, and I snorted in amusement.

"You love me anyways," I shot back, the one comeback I knew he couldn't deny. The bluenette seemed surprised a moment, before he narrowed his eyes mutinously.

"You can't even begin to fathom how lucky you are that you killed that dragon," he hissed, "or I'd make good of my earlier threat."

"Hah, I doubt it," I brushed off his half-hearted hostility, releasing my grip on him to allow him to fall unceremoniously in a heap in the dirt and rising to my feet.

Or at least _halfway_.

Then a horrible pain seized my entire body as strongly as Muris's levitation magic, and for a moment, I blanked out. Suddenly, my vision was swimming, and Yuan was _above _me.

"Either my directional senses have taken a drastic turn for the worse," I murmured, slightly slurred from dizziness and slightly labored from the pain, "or for some reason I'm on the ground."

He laughed nervously, apparently relieved by my attempt at dry humor.

"You collapsed," he offered, extending a hand to help me to a sitting position. "I think we've found your hidden talent."

"It's what happens when I'm stuck fighting _both_ of our battles," I shot back, eyes slightly narrowed. He snorted indignantly, but chose to remain silent, stepping around to my back. "What are you doing?" I demanded quickly, cringing as the slightest of breezes sent my shoulder wound stinging.

"Shut up, you baby, I'm gonna help you," he grumbled, as if somewhat opposed to the concept. I knew it was just his bruised ego, however, and I didn't take it personally. At the metallic _whoosh_ of Swallow being drawn, I cringed away, reflexively whirling my torso to face him. Sensing my disquiet, he drew back slightly.

"_Trust me_. I know that may be too heavy a concept for your brain to comprehend, but-"

"I got it." I cut him off, somewhat icily.

"Then turn around and for goddess's sake, _shut up and let me work._ I need to concentrate, unless you want to trade your health for your _arm_." He demanded, and I obliged, much to my own surprise. He was about to try and heal my wounds, when he couldn't even manage to seal a scratch in our cave practice, yet... I trusted him. He wouldn't hurt me, somehow I knew it.

So I sat as still as possible as he sliced the tattered and blood-stained shirt from my back, despite the wave of agony the crisp air inflicted upon it. I felt him hesitate a moment, the tips of his fingers brushing gently along one of the deeper wounds, so light that, if it wouldn't have caused an excruciating pain along the entire radius of the wound, it would have sent a tingle down my spine. Instead, the feeling that raced down my spine was more of a pained shudder, and I felt him withdraw hastily upon realizing the torment his fingertips were inflicting.

There was a moment of silence and still, where nothing moved and not a sound was made.

"_First Aid!_" I heard him murmur forcefully, and this time, when his fingers met my back, there was a pressure behind the touch. Yet it didn't hurt for more than an instant, and I slowly felt my wounds closing up, the blood veins and nerves rewiring themselves into proper function. Within two minutes, he'd healed the entirety of my back, and was slowly brushing over the wound where the tail spike had impaled my shoulder.

Now that the sharper, more excruciating pain was fading, I was suddenly aware of a horrible ache in my head and my mid chest. My hand raised to my temple, massaging it in hopes of relief, yet it only worsened the pain. This was now at least twice the size of the average migraine, plus the pain of my two or three broken ribs.

"There. Your back and shoulder are all healed... Though your back wounds were deep. It's pure luck that you made it..." The half-elf's voice was slightly grieving at the thought, but he shook himself out of the distress moments after. "They look pretty bad now, but hell, I'm new at this. Your skin'll probably be good as new, when it heals over." I could tell Yuan was proud of his newfound healing art, though I hoped he didn't intend to gloat on it for long. Almost immediately upon sitting back, he noticed the pained look on my face, asking, "what hurts?" His hand was ready, glowing with mana.

"My ribs..." I gasped slightly in response, "and... my head's none too happy either."

Obliging, he came around and crouched in front of me, examining my ribcage area. I couldn't help but look away, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed by his scrutiny, though I'm pretty sure it was in a merely professional way. That's one thing I dislike about sharing feelings: the awkwardness that follows.

He pressed his hand to my mid torso, fingers splayed to cover the most area, and I felt a tingling sensation creep beneath my skin.

"You're getting better at this," I complimented reluctantly, but rather than his usual cockiness, he merely seemed surprised a moment. Then, a devious smirk crept across his lips. I opened my mouth to demand to know what was so funny, but by the look on his face, the answer was soon to come anyways.

"_First Aid_," was the only response he offered, yet his eyes were hinting at some sort of hidden amusement. I thought a moment... He _had_ put emphasis on his 'first aid' command, hadn't he? Wait... If he was healing it _now_, what was that tingling sensation before?

Eyes widening slightly, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and I turned away with a 'hmph', a layer of auburn bangs shielding me from what was undoubtedly the biggest smirk I'd seen in a thousand years.

All of a sudden, there was a curious yet very invigorating tingle in my, um, _lower torso_. Wide eyes shot to Yuan in alarm, to find his hand hovering about a foot above said area, _First Aid_ mana forming a path from his hand to my pants, and an impish smirk pasted on his face. I let loose a growl of frustration, and within moments, I had him on the ground, a knee on his chest to hold him there, and my hand around his neck threateningly. His eyes were wide with surprise, yet he didn't struggle.

"I don't care _how_ I feel about you, if you do that _ever again_, I'll _kill_ you," I snarled angrily, quite obviously meaning it, or at least quite obviously acting like I meant it. I know this may seem a little harsh, but wouldn't it piss _you_ off, if someone were trying their very hardest to humiliate you? Well it did me. Hmph.

To my great disbelief, he slowly started to smirk again.

"You can't kill me. _I control you._" He asserted, and I tightened my grip on his neck, though not so much as to restrict his breathing.

"_How so_?" I hissed, almost daring him to try it. Rather than speaking again, however, the bluenette slowly extended a hand and placed it on my chest. Immediately that tingling sensation returned, and I gasped slightly, jumping back out of his reach.

Having been released from my grip, he raised himself up off the ground, brushing the dust off his clothing, the smirk still present.

"Will you effing _stop that_?!" I growled, my tone gruff to hide the embarrassment slowly creeping once more across my face.

"I control you," he repeated, having proven his point sufficiently enough for his liking. I snorted noncommittally.

"Damned seraph senses," I grumbled under my breath after a moment, rising to my feet and brushing myself off as well. Standing so I faced away from the half-elf, I waited for the redness of my face to fade under the pretense of surveying our surroundings.

Things were silent for a while, as he as well gazed around. After a few minutes or so, his voice broke the silence.

"So... is it time to go?"

I glanced down at him, a wave of disappointment washing over me. He had his Renegades. Surely this would mean we would have to part ways...

I refused to let that happen just yet.

"No... No, I think we should check into Muris's base, see if there's anything of use that we can salvage for our own purposes," I offered, a pretty good plan for thinking on my feet. It seemed a pretty acceptable plan to him, for he nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Then it's off to the center yet again."

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((**Spiritua: **Sorry this took so awfully long. Xx Our band is preparing to go play in Disneyland, so we have practices like every other day. Ugh. I hope it's good enough. :D)) 


	26. The Base

((**Meowzy: **Here we are. The last true chapter of Forsaken! After this, it's just the epilogue. I wanna thank all the faithful readers and reviewers for sticking with us up to this point. You've been great, guys! Enjoy this chap, and I'll see you at the epilogue!))

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Chapter Twenty-Six (Yuan's PoV)  
The Base.

Off we flew. Back to the center of the island. Now that we had our wings to guide us, the island seemed so much smaller all of a sudden. From high up in the sky, I could easily see the springs. The cliff where the third task took place. Also, I could see the beach where we'd first arrived. From way up here, I could see the little prison that had made our last weeks a living hell. Until this afternoon, that is…

All I could hear was the wind whipping past my ears. Kratos and I didn't talk. What was there to say? After this was done… After this was done, I had to return to my Renegades. Kratos might have other things to do. Though he never did tell Lloyd or anyone else that he was still on this planet, I felt almost scared that the second we got off this island, he would leave and never come back.

It took us only half the time to get to the mountain as it would have taken us on foot. We passed the trap door that led into that dark corridor… We passed the cave that led to the mechanical dragon which guarded the second task… We passed the broken dome of glass which covered the room where we'd first faced off against the dragons… Then we finally reached the ledge near the machine room. But…

"Where would Muris' base _be_, exactly?" I asked, landing on the ledge with a soft 'tap'. The small window that led inside was just a few feet away from me.

"I was following _you_." Kratos responded with a shrug.

"Oh great. We're lost." I sighed deeply and turned to overlook the island.

"Let's just think logically for a moment." Kratos moved to stand next to me, his wings giving a restless flap. "If you were Muris, where would you have your hideout?"

"Probably in a musty rat hole somewhere." I snorted.

"Underground does seem most likely…" Kratos said, his brows furrowed lightly in thought as he glanced down at the island. "But it can't all be rodent holes that lead to it. There must be an entrance we can use somewhere…"

I started to think deeply as well, trying to remember the island's locations. We'd tried all the doors in the machine room, and the dragon room was basically empty. Unless there was a hidden door in one of those two rooms, it was a no-go. Then there was the dark hallway. That was a possibility alright. But it would also mean we could've walked straight into Muris' living room while we were supposed to be fighting his dragons. Very unlikely.

"Didn't you chase him all the way onto this ledge last time?" Kratos asked suddenly. He turned to take a good look at the wooden ridge that led all around the mountain top.

"Well, yeah. But I lost him on the other side." My face contorted at the very memory. Outsmarted by a guy with the brain of a rodent…

"Let's check it out. There might be an entrance near there." Kratos walked off, brushing a hand past the wall as he went.

I shrugged and headed in the other direction, also feeling the rocky surface for any hidden buttons or other clues. Everything seemed normal. Jagged stone and dusty layers of filth. After about a minute, I nearly bumped into Kratos, who came at me from the other side. Another nice benefit of having wings; if you get knocked off a small ledge on top of a high mountain, you won't die ten seconds after.

"Nothing?"

"Nope. You?"

"Not even a misplaced pebble."

"Well, that was a complete waste of time." I sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"You lost him somewhere around here?" he asked.

I gave a simple nod, crossing my arms. Kratos gave the surface one last check with his hands before glancing upwards.

"Nah, he didn't climb up." I said, already reading his mind. "He may be fast, but he couldn't scurry up a mountain within three seconds."

"Then…" Kratos slowly turned, sinking to his knees and glancing over the rim of the ledge. "What if he went _down_?"

"Down? You think he'd survive a jump like that?" I frowned. "With all due respect captain, that sounds like an absurd theory."

"He wouldn't have to jump. He could either cling to the rocks underneath, or fly down as a seraph." Kratos reasoned.

Okay, I had to admit, now it sounded a bit less absurd. But still…

"I dunno…"

"Well, I don't see _you_ coming up with anything." Kratos turned his head to smirk at me in an almost superior way.

I stayed silent for a moment, trying to quickly come up with a theory that could match Kratos'. Sadly, nothing came to mind.

"Alright, fine. Let's do it your way." I spoke airily.

Kratos' wings rustled for a moment before he hopped off the ledge. He fell only a few feet, as he quickly stayed afloat, turning to face me. I made to follow, but the most peculiar thing happened. Don't ask me how I managed it, because I have no clue.

I tripped in a way the ex-chosen of Sylvarant would have done.

With a swift, helpless flail, I fell forward. The thought of '_I'm going to die!_' flashed through my head for only a fraction of a second, as I forgot about my wings in the shock of it all. My eyes slipped shut in apprehension, and the next moment I felt a pair of arms quickly wrapping themselves around my chest, holding me close to a body and stopping my fall.

"Careful, Pervert Boy." A deep voice whispered in my ear.

My eyes snapped open again to greet a thick mop of auburn hair, and I instantly felt myself blush.

"You're just glad to have an excuse to hold me." I spoke indignantly.

"Yet I don't hear you complaining…" Kratos retorted slowly. I was sure he was smirking again.

Unable to think of a comeback to that, I merely provided a short grunt in response. Then I reluctantly pushed myself away from Kratos' body, relying on my own wings to fly. Judging from his mild pout, my companion hadn't wanted the embrace to end so quickly either. But we had work to do.

I turned to glance at the mountain wall. If Kratos was right, there had to be something below the ledge. That was why we slowly started to descend, keeping a lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

That was exactly what we found.

"Yuan…" Kratos spoke slowly, causing me to take my gaze off the rocks and glance his way. "Exactly _how_ absurd was my theory again?"

My jaw dropped. There, in the wall in front of him, was a hole. It was perfectly round, and large enough for a man to fit through. It was placed about twenty feet below the ledge.

"Well, there's still no guarantee it leads to Muris' room. It might lead to more dragons." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Only one way to find out." Kratos placed a hand above the opening, already sticking one foot inside it. "Oh, look, it has a slide. What fun!"

"Hey, wait!" I shouted, but to no avail. A second later, he had completely pushed himself through and disappeared into the darkness. The light of his wings had vanished soon after, leaving me to listen to his fading scream of mirth.

"Ah, great." I gave another quick sigh, before diving face first after him.

Kratos was right. There _was_ a slide. A slide that continued to grow steeper and steeper, making me feel like I was plummeting to my doom. To make things worse, there were occasional sharp corners. After about fifteen seconds of mindless shrieking, I noticed I'd completely lost my sense of direction. All I knew is that I was going down. A little too late I realized that when this slide would end I was going to end up face first on the ground. With my current speed, that would not be pleasant.

Before I could even try to slow my momentum, however, the slide leveled out. Before I knew it, I was sent shooting into a room, covering my face with my arms as I screamed wildly. Lucky for me, I landed on something soft. A large, deep cushion. Kratos was already standing beside it, dusting himself off. I pushed myself into a sitting position, hoping to regain my breath some time this century.

"Never again."

"What? You didn't think that was _fun_?" Kratos smiled slyly at me.

"All I'm thinking right now is that Muris was nuts." I got to my feet, but found myself swaying with dizziness. Kratos didn't seem to notice, however, as he was too busy taking in our surroundings.

At first sight, it seemed like a normal, damp cave. Then I noticed that the light in the room wasn't coming from our wings. It was coming from cheap, fluorescent lighting attached to the ceiling. Kratos and I exchanged a quick glance, then started to walk down the only hallway this place had. A hallway that led to nothing other than a laboratory.

Eerie green light flooded the place, and an abundance of scribbled papers littered the ground. Test tubes, at least five feet in diameter reached to the ceiling. What was even more creepy was that some of them were occupied by small, flaming red dragons, floating in some sort of nearly transparent orange liquid. I shuddered heavily.

"Where did he get the energy to power this place?" Kratos wondered aloud, striding over to a nearby desk. A cage with two nasty-looking rodents was settled on top of it.

"Magi-technology." I said simply. "He must've drained Mana from the island for his weird little experiments."

As I placed a hand on one of the tubes to closer examine the dragons, I noticed something was off. The build of these creatures was not quite the same as those we'd faced before. These looked like they could move more swiftly and their spiked tails were even more dangerous. If these things were fully-grown and released, we'd have been in a whole lot of trouble. For now, though, they were baby-sized and in a hibernative state.

I intended to keep it that way.

Quickly stepping away from the tube, I saw that Kratos was shuffling a few papers on the desk.

"Find anything useful?" I asked, moving to stand next to him and peering over his shoulder. I spotted a drawing of something that looked an awful lot like one of those flesh-eating plants, but decided it would be rather pointless to look at it more closely.

"I found out that this man has the worst handwriting in the history of the worlds." Kratos tossed another 'blueprint' over his shoulder.

"Maybe it's to stop people like us from stealing his work." I gave a quick grin, before glancing at the rodents. They glared back at me, standing up on their hind legs. Somehow, I couldn't take my gaze off of them again. It was like they _knew_ I'd killed their master.

"What do you reckon? Relatives of Muris?" Kratos pondered.

"More like his wife and kid. Muriel and Muris Jr." I said, stifling a snicker.

"I certainly hope you're not right about that. I'd hate to imagine how he would have managed it." The man gave a deep, overdramatic shudder before moving away from the desk again.

Chuckling under my breath, I followed him into the next room. This one was rather peculiar. It was filled with all sorts of scrap metal and tools. This time, an entire _stack_ of blueprints was standing in the corner. It was probably some sort of engineering lab. It didn't seem like anything useful was in here, either.

"All work and no play makes Muris a bitter old psycho." I muttered.

The room that followed was a whole lot more interesting, not to mention strange. Seemingly pointless machines, emitting beeping sounds, took up most of the space. There was a dartboard hanging from the wall, several knives and small axes sticking out of it. A simple bed, looking like it had never been used, stood in a lone corner. There was one thing that immediately caught my eye, though.

"What the heck is that?"

I slowly approached the odd apparatus, trying to comprehend if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. A large, round wheel was connected to the wall, several wires leading away from it. Wires that led to other contraptions. As I reached out to touch it, my suspicions were confirmed. The wheel _moved_. Though it was still stuck the wall, it could go round and round.

"Yuan… I do believe we've found a hamster wheel." Kratos' lips curled in amusement. "A _human-sized_ hamster wheel."

Immediately, I imagined Muris running inside this thing and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Kratos had apparently done the same thing, as I heard him laugh along.

"I think that if there was any doubt left that this guy was insane, it has now been vanquished." I snickered.

"I'll bet he uses it to power his microwave or something." Kratos remarked with a grin, following the wires with his eyes.

"Why would he need one? He can always eat hamster treats." I replied.

The next second, we'd doubled up with laughter again. After about a minute of this, I was starting to feel weak in the knees. This was why I wandered over to the bed and sat down, trying to catch my breath. Kratos settled down beside me, still smiling faintly.

For a while, everything was silent, as we simply sat there, enjoying each other's company. In a way, it made me feel empty. To think that I'd have to give this all up, to return to the Renegades. Back to endless, not to mention slightly pointless paperwork. I didn't really _want_ to leave this island anymore…

"Yuan?"

"Hm?"

"Why was Muris still alive?"

My breath stopped short for moment. Kratos' voice didn't sound angry, nor demanding. It was more curious than anything else. A tone of voice that said he didn't blame me. Still, the question had had a rather painful effect.

I sat up straight, a nostalgic smile forming. "It was a mistake on my behalf. Not only did I find myself unable to withstand Martel's charm, I was also stupid enough not to think of what Muris could accomplish with all that knowledge about exspheres."

"Then… Martel really did ask you to let him live?" Kratos asked, observing me closely. I noticed that he was leaning towards me a bit, trying to look me in the eye.

"That's right, captain. I guess it _was_ my fault we got into this mess. I should've just let you finish him off in that dungeon when we had the chance." I spoke, stubbornly staring at the far wall, that smile still lingering on my lips.

If I had stood back and let Kratos kill Muris back then, he wouldn't have gotten his hands on that keycrest. Muris wouldn't have created a fifth Cruxis crystal and he wouldn't have lived long enough to prepare this extravagant Island o' Revenge. If I had refused Martel's request, Muris wouldn't have gotten powerful enough to nearly kill us at least ten times. It was because of my weakness that all this had happened.

"It's not your fault." Kratos said firmly.

"Oh? Isn't it?" I still refused to meet his gaze.

"Damn right it isn't! How were you supposed to know he'd create a crystal and still be alive after four thousand years? All you did was grant a favor to… to the one you love."

At this, I sharply turned my head to glance at Kratos. The man's attention was now directed at the floor. Though the messy auburn bangs covered most of his face, I was sure his eyes were filled with sadness.

"Kratos…"

"We all make mistakes. Some graver than others. But sometimes… it just isn't your fault."

I smiled again, though it was a whole lot more gentle this time. He was thinking about Anna. I knew he was… Slowly, I wrapped an arm around him, holding him close. He leaned into the embrace, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I know…" I whispered.

Again, we sat in silence for a while. It'd been a long time since I last had the notion Kratos actually understood my feelings. He had gone through a lot of horrible experiences as well. He could sympathize with my pain, as I could do with his. This was a nice feeling of mutual comfort.

"… We're going to have to leave this place, aren't we?" I managed to ask eventually.

"Yeah…"

Though Kratos' voice seemed fairly blank of emotions, I knew the concept was pretty hard on him too. He probably didn't want our ways to separate either.

"You can stay at the Renegade base with me, if you want to…" I offered.

It was all up to this one suggestion. This was the only solution I could think of, after all. He didn't have a true home out there, so perhaps we could share one. The pointless paperwork would seem a whole lot more enjoyable with Kratos around.

"I'd like that." the man shifted in my grasp to hold me closer, and I noticed he was smiling.

A sigh of relief passed my lips, but I hardly noticed. Even away from the island, our ways wouldn't sever. We could stay together. Kratos and I could slowly develop our relationship, taking things one step at a time. For an angel of Cruxis, time had no meaning, after all. Again, I felt grateful for that accursed crystal that had been planted on me so long ago.

In a way, I should be thankful that Muris went through all this trouble to get revenge. Were it not for that, I would've remained alone, oblivious to my own feelings. The same would've accounted for Kratos. A lot happened during those weeks we were stuck here and in the end, I realized that this island wasn't such a hellhole after all.


	27. The Epilogue

((**Spiritua Masquerade: **Bad news: This is the last chapter of Forsaken. Good news: There's a sequel in the works! –_cheers_-))

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Chapter Twenty-Seven (Kratos' PoV)  
The Epilogue

It has been two weeks, two days, twelve hours, thirty minutes, and fifty-five seconds since we left the island. It has been two weeks, one day, seven hours, fifteen minutes, and seven seconds since we arrived at the Renegade Base. Yet never in my four thousand years of life has time traveled any slower. I could drag it faster by a dull fishing hook attached to my eyelids, that's how incredibly slowly it creeps.

The moment I left the island, I knew things were going to be different. We were no longer equals, fighting for survival. The bond we forged on the island was amazing, yet so incredibly fragile... I knew Yuan had his Renegades. I knew he was the leader of a large mass of people, and I knew he'd be caught in a power-struggle when he turned up alive after all. I knew he would have an uncanny amount of tasks to do.

I was right, too. A man had risen as leader, and he wasn't too fond of being usurped. Yuan is fighting tooth and nail, working without cease, to ensure that his Renegades remained so.

But I thought I could deal with that. I thought I might even be able to help him. I thought it might just be Yuan and myself, just as it has been for the past few weeks, just as I have grown to depend on it being.

But it's not.

It's been five days, twenty-one hours, six minutes, and twenty seconds since I last spoke to Yuan. The conversation was five minutes long. Since them, I've only caught one fleeting glimpse of him. He didn't even look my way.

I'm stuck in solitary confinement. I was once a member of Cruxis, so the Renegades do not trust me, and it would lose many of the men's support if Yuan let me roam free. They would question his leadership, and turn to his competition. Yuan claims he's pleading my case with his men... But if he were, I doubt they would still keep me in this little room.

There's nothing wrong with this room, in concept. There are plenty of books, and there's a window with an amazing view. The bed is so comfortable I couldn't sleep on it for the first week, and I can have food delivered at the push of a button.

But I am alone. And that is what pains me. Me, who lived alone for almost three thousand of my years. Two weeks, and it's like I'm addicted to his company.

No, I retract that remark. I'm not addicted to his company. I just crave it whenever it isn't in my grasp, and experience a feeling of ecstasy when it is. Yet it never is. He promised it would be, yet it isn't. How come, after four millennia of logic and reason forced into every fiber of my being, I can be so put out of place for a single promise unkept?

I look into my eyes in the mirror on the wall... They are the same hazel, to match the auburn of my hair. They are, theoretically, as they have always been. Yet at the same time, they aren't. Before, they were cold. Like orbs of polished stone, for example. Yet now, I see the emotion, the passion... Things I haven't seen for a very long time.

And I could escape any time. It wouldn't be hard... They left me armed with my battle garb. But I do not. I _can_not. I don't know how to explain it... It's like the pact with Origin that bound me to this planet for so long, thus does my bond with Yuan hold me to this room.

And every day, I wish we were still on that goddessforsaken island. There, even though we were hunted, we were _free_.

I sink to my knees, suddenly weary. My head hangs in a sensation I can only describe as loss, and my unkempt bangs fall carelessly over my eyes. And, due to the sudden drop in altitude, a lightheaded sensation washes over me. I find the room spinning slightly, and I throw a hand down to the floor to steady myself.

Faintly, I hear the mechanic _whirr_ing of the door sliding open. I weakly lift my head, gazing up at the intruder through the tangle of my bangs.

"Oh _Kratos_," a wonderfully familiar voice sighs miserably, and I recognize the form as Yuan as he steps toward me. "Kratos, I'm sorry..." Crouching down, he wraps his arms around me, and on instinct I lean heavily into the embrace. My dizziness fades, and I look up at him clearly for the first time in a week. Yet I have nothing to say. Nothing to say that could even begin to encompass the range of emotions I'm feeling right now.

I've noticed, by the way, that I'm a man of extremes. I either have no emotions, or I'm overwhelmed by them. The latter applies to this situation, and in turn, renders me speechless. He seems to understand, pressing his face to the top of my head and holding me all the tighter.

"I'm so sorry..."

I weakly shake my head, before allowing it to come to rest against his chest. Within it, I can hear his heart beating steadily, and it seems to calm me somewhat. So when I gaze up at him once more, I can find the words to speak.

"It isn't your fault, Yuan..." My voice is slightly gruff from the lack of use, but neither of us mind. "Some things... aren't your fault."

No. I know it probably is entirely his fault. I'm sure he could have slipped out in the night for just five minutes to see me, so I wasn't alone for seven days straight. So I didn't mean that it wasn't his fault.

But I did mean that I completely and entirely forgive him. I feel no resentment at his absence, even as he apologizes for it, even _before_ he apologized. I only feel an unexplainable happiness that he has come at last. Yuan once again seems to understand. He's good at that, understanding. Which is a great relief, for at times like this, it is impossible for me to discern one thought from another, let alone clearly voice them.

And we sit here, in this wonderful embrace, for the good part of an hour. For the first time all day, I glance to the window, and find it nighttime. The men must all be sleeping. Good. I press my ear to his chest once more, allowing his steady heartbeat to soothe me... And I find myself in a sleeplike state, aware, yet at the same time, not a bit. I know not how long we remain together, only that he reluctantly ends it as a light creeps in through the window to mark dawn. He slowly, almost painedly slides his arms from around me, using them to ease himself up off the ground.

I am uncertain whether I am fully awake or not, only that, when he steps wordlessly toward the door, I reach out toward him with a hand and ask him not to leave me. He stops, turning to face me once more, the look in his eyes so tortured I'm uncertain if any physical wound could do it justice. And then he nods. Nods in affirmative.

Stepping back toward me, he crouches down so he's at my level. I gaze him steadily in the eye, for once uncertain what his mind is concocting. He tentatively takes my hand, bringing it up to brush the backs of my fingers against his soft cheek, before allowing it to lower back to the floor.

"We will be free of this place within a week, Kratos. I swear it."

And he walks out the door, not once looking back.

Yet I have faith in him. I trust him to keep his vow.

I'm no longer afraid to say it, either:

_I love him._

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((**Spiritua: **Short, I know, and in first person, but it's intended to be where he's at _now_, having told the tale of Forsaken to you all in past tense. Make sense? 

**Meowzy:** Nya, no Yuan epilogue or anything like that. This really is the last chapter of Forsaken. But keep an eye out for the sequel, okay? I'll mention it on my profile when we're almost ready to start uploading, and stuff like that. Thanks for bearing with us all the way to the end!))


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